Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, an unabashedly progressive candidate once perceived as a long shot for getting the nod, has reportedly won the Democratic bid for Florida's gubernatorial race. The AP called the race for Gillum when he was just 2 percentage points up on his closest competitor, former U.S. Representative Gwen Graham.
Gillum came from behind in the immediate run-up to the primary on the strength of tireless campaigning and a platform that positioned him to the left of most of his rivals, and called on Democrats to nominate a more radical contender this time around. "Democrats have lost the last five elections for governor, all with middle-of-the-road candidates," noted the Tampa Bay Times in the immediate wake of Gillum's victory.
Gillum will face off against Trump acolyte Ron DeSantis in the November primary, setting up a showdown that's not-so-subtly symbolic of the current polarization of America at large.
This article appears in Aug 23-30, 2018.