HIUS 542 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY Final Research Paper _2024.pdf

Final Research Paper

HIUS 542

Kimberly Williams-Chatmon

May 7, 2024

Andrew D. Gillum became the first African American candidate for Governor of Florida.

Before the world knew the name, Andrew Gillum communities around Florida were gainfully

aware of his impact on the state. Although Gillum did not win the 2018 Gubernatorial election, it

does not speak against his qualifications or abilities to serve. “ A champion for everyday people,

Andrew Gillum inspired millions across Florida and the nation in 2018. He surged past four

the Gainesville Sun.” 2

Gillum did not have an introduction into the world of government until started high

school and caught the political bug when he befriended the son of two local politicians. “But it

wasn't until he entered Gainesville High School in the fall of 1994 that he would meet and

befriend Christopher Chestnut, the son of two local politicians. His mother, Rep. Cynthia

Chestnut, had been a city commissioner and mayor before she became a state lawmaker in 1990,

while his father, Charles Chestnut III, sat on the Alachua County Commission.”3

https://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/andrew-gillum.

Sun as the person of the year. Cynthia Chestnut attended Florida A&M University and with her

influence politically on Gillum, he decided to move to Tallahassee Florida and attend Florida

A&M University. Gillum excelled at FAMU (Florida A&M University). “Gillum enrolls in

Florida A&M University, where he continues his interest in public interest and political activism.

He served as a senator in the Student Government Association, Senate President, and SGA

president from 2001 to 2002. He was the first student member of the Board of Trustees.”4 While

Gillum was enrolled at FAMU and working towards his Political Science degree he was given a

one-year seat on the Tallahassee Commission board. Gillum became the youngest person ever to

receive a seat with 57 percent of the votes. After Gillum graduated in 2003 with his bachelor’s in

political science he received a four-year seat in his first term on the Florida Commission board.

accusations of ethical negligence. When Andrew Gillum decided to run for Governor he made a

bold heroic decision. Until then, Florida had never had an African American candidate run a

gubernatorial race. Florida as a red state has a history of racism and racist narratives. “The state

of Florida has a shameful history of discrimination and bias against racial minorities. Though

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/11/20/key-dates-andrew-gillums-political-career/1904008002/.

minorities still face challenges and discrimination in our state. The voting power of racial

minorities have been diluted by such devices as gerrymandering, and Florida’s voting ban against

people with prior felony convictions has robbed hundreds of thousands of minorities of their

right to vote. Furthermore, anti-immigrant laws have stripped away basic civil rights for many of

the state’s ethnic minorities.”6

The atmosphere in Florida has never displayed the energy that would welcome an African

American candidate for Governor. Gillum being born and raised in Florida was fully aware of

this. Gillum was also aware of the lack of African Americans in Florida who were registered to

vote. There was an unmotivated amount of African American citizens in Florida who were not

registered to vote and the citizens who were registered were not coming to the polls. “November

disenfranchising laws disproportionately affect Black voters. Nationally, 7.44 percent, or 1 in

13 Black people, are thought to have lost their right to vote because of a criminal conviction

(Chung, 2013). The numbers are much worse in Florida, and the cumulative effect for the

https://www.aclufl.org/en/issues/racial-justice.

always been one of disparity and disenfranchisement around the Black vote.

The 2018 Gubernational election candidates were between Andrew Gillum and Ron

DeSantis from Jacksonville Florida. The race between Gillum and DeSantis was close, Gillum

simply did not have the funding that acquired had. “Ron DeSantis has won his race to become

Florida's next governor, The Associated Press projects, derailing Tallahassee Mayor Andrew

Gillum's bid to become Florida's first black governor. The former Republican congressman's

victory ends a nail-biter of a race between the two men, who by late Tuesday nightGremained

separated by just 1 percentage point. Gillum rode an unapologetically progressive platform toGan

upset victoryGin the Democratic primary earlier this year, shocking his better-funded opponents to

emerge asGa fitting foilGto DeSantis. Endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gillum

promote voter registration and to give these neglected communities a reason to want to register

to vote. “Gillum’s upset primary victory over five white, better-known Democratic opponents

made headlines everywhere. He energized oft-neglected Black, Hispanic, and young voters. In

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351138246-24/restoration-voting-rights-keneshia-grant.

Throughout the campaign Gillum expressed his concern about DeSantis being an openly racist

candidate. Many of the Desantis supporters were Trump supporters and they displayed racist

rhetoric. “A Republican activist who donated more than $20,000 to Ron DeSantis and lined up a

speech for him at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club recently called President Barack

Obama a “F---- MUSLIM N----” on Twitter, in addition to making other inflammatory

remarks….The controversy comes after DeSantis sent his campaign into a tailspin the day after

the Aug. 28 primary by using the awkward phrase “monkey this up” in describing how the

economy could falter under the plans of his opponent, Andrew Gillum, the Florida Democratic

Party’s first African-American nominee for governor.”10 Gillum along with his supporters felt

that the election had become severely tainted with racist undertones. This atmosphere created an

has haunted Gillum, who has said he is not a target of an ongoing federal public corruption

investigation.”11 With DeSantis making open comments that Gillum is untrustworthy and

10 New racial controversy batters desantis - politico. Accessed May 12, 2024.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/20/ron-desantis-florida-racial-issues-830726.G

11 Ceballos, Ana. “GOP’s Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum Clash during Televised

https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/10/21/gops-ron-desantis-

more and more negatively driven. While the Gubernational race was proceeding, Gillum was

forced with the battle of facing his FBI investigation for public corruption when he was

Governor of Tallahassee. “An ongoing federal investigation into public corruption in Tallahassee,

Florida, threatens to damage the nascent campaign of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew

Gillum, the city’s mayor. The FBI investigation into whether out-of-town developers were able to

influence city development projects has already become fodder for political attacks against the

gubernatorial candidate, who won the state’s Democratic primary last week and rose to national

prominence because of his historic win and gripping personal story.”12

The issues between the candidates extended past the allegations of corrupt Hamilton

tickets received by Gillum and racist allegations made towards DeSantis. There was also the

means something to me; I remember having to wait for the free dental clinic to come through my

neighborhood in order to have my teeth cleaned."13

12 Merica, Dan. “FBI Investigation Looms over Democratic Nominee for Florida Governor |

CNN Politics.” CNN, September 3, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/03/politics/andrew-

13 ABC News. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/im-simply-racists-racist-florida-governors-

jeopardize the health care plans already in place for the rest of Florida. “According to the

DeSantis proposal, the Republican gubernatorial candidate would “work to ensure hard-to-insure

Floridians with significant health needs have access to coverage” through market reforms that

will encourage people to buy policies “before they get sick.”14 The topic of pipe bombs was also

brought up. Pipe bombs were being sent to President Obama as well as Hilary Clinton. When

asked if there was any correlation between the negative political environment and the bombs

being sent DeSantis felt there was none. “DeSantis did not say if he thought the political

discourse could at all be connected to the explosive devices being sent, but he did talk about one

of the last times violence came about because of political disagreements.”15 Gillum however felt

there was a connection, and that the political environment set was a breeding ground for violence

signaled that he’s likely to run for office again because, he said, his campaign was part of a

“movement.”16 Tallahassee citizens and many communities around Florida were devastated with

Choices.” The Florida Times-Union, October 25, 2018.

calls-for/9455586007/#.

15 ABC News. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/im-simply-racists-racist-florida-governors-

would not result to much and would tarnish his brand.

Work Cited

DeSantis wins Florida gubernatorial race as Gillum concedes - politico. Accessed May 12, 2024.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/17/desantis-wins-florida-gubernatorial-race-as-gillum-

concedes-1000530.

ABC News. Accessed May 12, 2024. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/im-simply-racists-racist-