Washington, D.C.—Today, People For the American Way (PFAW) congratulated Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum (D-Fla.) on a stunning upset victory in the Florida Democratic gubernatorial primary election. PFAW endorsed Gillum and participated in a $3.5-million coalition coordinated independent expenditure effort to help him seal the win.
“Florida Democrats could not have chosen a better champion for strong public schools, good jobs, and quality health care,” PFAW President Michael Keegan said. “I have known and worked with Andrew for years, and we here at People For the American Way are proud to stand with him. Now it’s on to November when Andrew will make history for Florida.”
“At a time when the president continues to drag our national conversation into the gutter—uninterrupted by a feckless GOP Congress—Andrew will stand up to Trump and become an important leader in the Resistance,” Keegan added. “We look forward to standing with Andrew when he wins in November.”
Gillum is the past national director of the Young Elected Officials Network, a program of PFAW affiliate People For the American Way Foundation, which was founded in 2005 with the mission to unite and support elected leaders ages 35 and under who share a passion for building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all. Since then, the YEO Network has grown to include more than 1,200 elected officials across the country in offices ranging from local school boards to the United States Congress.
Gillum is endorsed by PFAW’s Next Up Victory Fund, a program that helps young progressives win state and local elections. In the closing weeks of the primary, PFAW sent on-the-ground organizers to Florida to push people to the polls in support of Gillum. The group also launched a series of social media advertisements promoting his campaign. The ads are part of PFAW’s Latinos Vote! program, which exposes and counters anti-immigrant, anti-Latino rhetoric and policies.
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.