All three Democratic gubernatorial candidates descended upon South Florida Monday to make their case to the voters of Florida well before 2018 begins.
Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham and Orlando businessman Chris King appeared at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach to appeal to voters as well as play up their credentials and political positions going into next year.
Gillum has played up his image as an average, “everyday” Floridian while on the campaign trail, believing his image is the one best-suited to fire up the Democratic Party’s progressive base. The Tallahassee mayor painted himself as the “outside of the box” candidate who doesn’t have the name recognition or wealth attached to his name like the other candidates.
As far as policy goes, Gillum said public education was one of his top priorities, emphasizing increasing teacher pay as one way Florida could promote better learning opportunities statewide.
Gillum’s campaign has by far had the rockiest time getting off the ground, being dogged by FBI investigations, an email scandal and a series of staff changeups which many say indicate his run for governor is in serious trouble.
For Gwen Graham, being the best Democratic candidate also means putting a heavy focus on public education by ending high-stakes testing and getting rid of some of Florida’s biggest educational tools throughout the last twenty years: letter grades.
Since the late 1990s, school letter grades have been used by the Florida Department of Education to assess the progress and quality of education statewide, but some say letter grades place an unnecessary emphasis on performance and not enough emphasis on learning itself.
“As a mother, PTA president and public school official, my first priority will be to end the #EducationIndustry & support public schools,” Graham tweeted Monday afternoon.
Graham also wasted no time laying into Gov. Rick Scott, who has largely built his gubernatorial career on sending Floridians back into the workforce and creating jobs.
While Graham doesn’t disagree with getting Floridians back to work, she has routinely criticized the state for failing to provide high-paying jobs able to sustain the average Floridian.
“When I hear jobs, jobs, jobs, I hear you're going to have to work three jobs just to get by,” Graham said Monday.
Chris King’s experience in the private sector, he said Monday, sets him apart from other Democratic candidates since he has actually had extensive experience in the business sector and knows how to create jobs.
“With a simple vision to do well by doing good, we built a successful business that has served thousands of seniors and families nationwide,” King wrote Monday.
King’s message of creating jobs largely mirrors Gov. Scott’s.
Like Scott, King says he believes jobs and economic opportunities are some of the most significant ways to impact the average Floridian.
“I believe I can go toe-to-toe with the Republican nominee and win the debate on how to grow this economy,” he said.
King has entered the Democratic primary as a total outsider, never having held political office before.
What he lacks in experience, however, King makes up for with his pocketbook -- King dumped $1 million of his own money into his campaign after declaring his candidacy and seems prepared to fight tooth and nail for the nomination.
While Gillum, Graham and King have already crowded up the Democratic gubernatorial contest, it’s likely the field will only continue to grow as 2018 nears. Orlando attorney John Morgan has already expressed interest in the race, but has not officially declared he’s in the running just yet.
"I’m better than all of them put together," Morgan told Sunshine State News earlier this summer. "I get things done... [I may be compelled to run] because I have a lot of respect for everyone running, but what makes me compelled is [being] the person who could take the fight on the issues I care about to people of Florida in most effective way."
On the Republican side, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam and State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, have already entered the race. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, is also expected to jump in the GOP pool, as is U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
