Hollywood elites gushed over the victory of Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum in Florida’s Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, after the socialist-backed candidate scored an upset victory over his more moderate opponents.
Gillum, who received the backing of prominent socialist figures including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, defeated Rep. Gwen Graham and former mayor of Miami beach Phillip Levine with 34.3 percent of the vote. He was also endorsed and funded by left-wing billionaires such as Tom Steyer and George Soros.
Congratulations, @AndrewGillum!
The progressive movement is transforming the country – and he proved that again tonight.
Gillum ran on Medicare for All, Legalizing Marijuana, #AbolishICE & more.
Thank you, Florida voters!
On to November 💪🏽💜 https://t.co/8keyzxVmcf
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) August 29, 2018
Congratulations to @AndrewGillum on his victory. Tonight, Floridians joined Andrew in standing up and demanding real change and showed our nation what is possible when we stand together. Let's make history this November and make Andrew Gillum the next Governor of Florida.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 29, 2018
President Donald Trump immediately mocked Gillum’s candidacy, describing him as a “failed socialist mayor” who has allowed “crime [and] many other problems to flourish in his city.”
Not only did Congressman Ron DeSantis easily win the Republican Primary, but his opponent in November is his biggest dream….a failed Socialist Mayor named Andrew Gillum who has allowed crime & many other problems to flourish in his city. This is not what Florida wants or needs!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2018
Gillum ran on a platform of universal health care, a $15 an hour minimum wage, abolishing ICE, and passing onerous gun control laws. He has previously starred in videos calling for Trump’s impeachment.
However, Hollywood elites such as Michael Moore, Alyssa Milano, Debra Messing, Piper Perabo, Don Cheadle, Rob Delaney, and John Leguizamo took to Twitter to celebrate the victory of another “progressive insurgent,” while also expressing excitement over the prospect of the state’s first-ever black governor.
AN AMAZING UPSET!! The progressive insurgent has won again! Andrew Gillum is the the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida. Thank u Parkland students for cross-crossing the state to help make this happen! The traditional Democrats on the ballot spent $112M. Gillum spent $8M pic.twitter.com/Q2ID0WL9JJ
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) August 29, 2018
Thank you, Florida! .@AndrewGillum has won the primary. He’s the right choice for this time in history. pic.twitter.com/eQIBDeIc2I
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 29, 2018
What a triumph! Congrats! We will be with you till you cross the finish line! https://t.co/n2GtgsLAt8
— John Leguizamo (@JohnLeguizamo) August 29, 2018
Ali— you can say he was Hillary backed if you felt you had to make the point that he (obviously) wasn’t backed by Trump. Hillary’s platform WAS progressive. Gillum most aligns with Hillary. Why make Bernie a part of this narrative? Highlight the nominee and his platform. Period. https://t.co/hCk8f77Z5d
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) August 29, 2018
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉@AndrewGillum ♥️♥️♥️ https://t.co/BGga36s0Fs
— Piper Perabo (@PiperPerabo) August 29, 2018
Oh yes. Get involved with @voteblackpac to make this happen. https://t.co/wxVNlZiiTJ
— rob delaney (@robdelaney) August 29, 2018
https://twitter.com/DonCheadle/status/1034618713222217729
In an interview on Tuesday with Laura Ingraham, DeSantis claimed that Gillum was a man who “combines a far-left ideology with managerial incompetence.”
“He is the most liberal candidate that the Democratic Party has ever nominated in the state of Florida, by a country mile, in a governor’s race,” DeSantis explained. “He wants to abolish ICE. He wants a billion-dollar tax increase. He wants a single-payer healthcare system in Florida, which would bankrupt the state.”
“I’m trying to make Florida even better. He wants to make Florida Venezuela,” he continued. “But he also combines a far-left ideology with managerial incompetence. As mayor of Tallahassee, his tenure has been absolutely disastrous. Tallahassee is one of, if not the most crime-ridden city in all of Florida, year after year, rising crime. He’s embroiled in a lot of corruption scandals.”
Gillum has also been endorsed and supported by All in the Family creator Norman Lear, producers Will Packer and Shonda Rhimes, as well as actresses Regina Hall, Debra Messing, and Issa Rae.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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