Belen Sassone/ Opinion Director
Since his remarkable win over his Democratic primary opponents, Andrew Gillum has proven that he has what it takes to be the next governor of Florida.
A change from Rick Scott and the Republican party is exactly what the state needs to move forward — especially during these politically divided times.
Gillum has remained poised from the beginning.
His progressive platform and ideas are a sharp change from what we’ve seen in Florida for decades.
Gillum has vowed to protect immigrants, pass common-sense gun laws and pass the Competitive
Workforce Act — which would protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination, among other things.
On the other side, his opponent Ron DeSantis has run an unoriginal campaign by trying to appeal to Trump supporters in the state.
The ad he ran early in his campaign, in which he taught his toddler how to “build a wall,” made me feel disgusted.
Florida is a state with a high population of immigrants. When someone mocks the struggles that many of us face while trying to access a better life, it’s insulting and shouldn’t be celebrated.
Equally disturbing was DeSantis’ denial that he didn’t mean to attack Gillum’s race when he urged voters not to “monkey this up” and vote for him.
Frankly, if Phillip Levine or Gwen Graham had won the nomination, DeSantis probably wouldn’t have picked those exact words.
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, I hope voters make the right choice and vote for a candidate that takes the well-being of all Floridians into account.
The rich and privileged have had their time to shine, and it’s time to make room for someone with more to offer.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Raul Najera on Unsplash.