Former president Barack Obama is headed to Florida this week to campaign Friday on behalf of two candidates, incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.
I’m deeply honored that President @BarackObama will campaign with us on Friday in Miami. We’re fired up & ready to #BringItHome!
— Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) October 29, 2018
Gillum is a Bernie Sanders-backed candidate and the mayor of Tallahassee. He secured an impressive victory in his August primary. Gillum supports far left positions such as abolishing ICE and establishing Medicare for All.
Obama seems to have been shifting left lately as well. In addition to his plans to campaign for Gillum, he endorsed Medicare for All in September despite claiming in the past that Obamacare was not single-payer healthcare. He also recently backed far-left Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for New York’s 14th District.
Twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has campaigned for Gillum as well but has done so quietly at private fundraisers since she is a more polarizing figure.
Gillum has been facing scrutiny recently over accepting Hamilton tickets from an undercover FBI agent who was conducting an ethics probe. He claims that he received the tickets from his brother and accused the GOP of attempting to reinforce “stereotypes about black men" by bringing up the issue.
He is running a tight race against Trump-backed Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), according to the latest polling.
President Trump weighed in on the race Monday.
In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor - and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018