Could is the operative word here, since as of yet, young people tend to turn out in dismal numbers in primaries, especially ones in off years.
“Young people in this Democratic primary represent just 4.8% of the voters, as it sits today," said Gillum. "Fewer than five percent of people between the ages of 18 and 35 are voting in the primary."
But he said he thinks his candidacy can help stoke enthusiasm among the notoriously apathetic voting block, perhaps doubling turnout — or more.
"In fact I think we can triple it," he said. "But we have to make that real. … The last two governor races in this state were decided by less than one percent of the vote. Less than one percent between the winner and loser. Fewer than 70,000 voters in a state of 20 million people. What we've got to do is make people recognize that it matters who our governor is. It matters what policies come from our governor.”
Gillum addressed a packed room in a wide ranging opening speech that covered most of his platform, stressing his progressive cred, from his support of marriage equality and battles with the gun lobby to welcoming of refugees. He also spoke on plans for the development of Florida as an economic power by utilizing its large and diverse population to create economic opportunities beyond a tourism economy — similar to Texas and California, the only two states more populous than Florida.
“We've been a state that's pretty much addicted to tourism. I'm not hitting on it; it's going to be a part of Florida. But as the third largest state in America, we should be running it from an economic standpoint," he said. "You all ought to be creating the businesses and making this state world-class. World class is something more than spending the least amount per pupil. We should be better than the state that told 1.5 million of the most medically needy people, good luck on how you find healthcare. We should be a state that is setting the example of how to deal with climate change and sea level rise. There's an economy in that.”
Education and the cost of higher learning was an obvious topic for Gillum's audience, many of whom likely face mounting debt and an uncertain job market. He pledged to go farther than any of his opponents, with plans to move towards making community college free for Florida residents along with offering free education for degrees in fields that meet Florida's high-need occupations.
When asked during a question and answer session his opinion on his fellow Democratic opponents, Gillum was positive and spoke of his support of his (currently) main rival, former Congresswoman Gwen Graham in her 2014 House Representative campaign. Yet he also made it clear that he disagreed with several of the votes she made as a representative, in particular voting to approve the Keystone Pipeline, easing some Dodd-Frank banking regulations and voting to halt the arrival of Syrian refugees.
“I'm sure that there is a lot that we agree with, but I believe that it's time that we have Democrats that are with us on these core issues that matter," he said. "Your record matters. My record of fifteen years matters. You've got to assess that. Her record of two years in Congress also matters. We have to assess that.”
But Gillum saved most of his criticism for Governor Rick Scott, criticizing an environmental policy he described as nonexistent and underwhelming job growth under the “Florida's version of Trump."
“We've got a governor who calls himself the jobs guy," Gillum said. "Yet we know that almost half the people in this state say they can't make ends meet at the end of the month. Many folks are working two or three jobs just to make it. I have a different vision and a different future for the Florida that I want y'all to inherit.”
While young voters aren't exactly dependable in turning out for elections in off years, it's undeniable that they have become more politicized since Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders entered the Democratic presidential primary in 2015 and, ultimately, Donald Trump entered the White House. And it was Gillum's fellow students who encouraged his entry into politics; they him get elected to the Tallahassee City Commission while he was still attending Florida A&M University. While the clouds of an FBI investigation into his administration's dealings with developers leaves things up in the air, Gillum is banking on a statewide repeat of his original success in an election (or two) that will likely come down to the wire.
“They credit us with having little civic responsibility, no commitment," he said. "Even now as I step on this campus, people want to know, why students? Because I know something very important about students. We show up when we feel like it, when we feel motivated and engaged, when people come to us and ask us for our votes. [They say] 'Don't take me for granted. Don't give me the milquetoast version of your platform and who you are and expect that it's going to motivate me to come out for you.' That's one of the reasons I want you to know me and to know me better. I've been on the frontline of the battles I think you care about and I care deeply about.”
This article appears in Aug 24-31, 2017.