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In his first appearance in Tampa since officially declaring his candidacy for Governor, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum said the Democratic Party can win back the Governors Mansion next year if itconvinces the voters of Florida thatitcan make an impact in changing their lives for the better.

What we have to do is convince them that voting for us will make a difference in our lives, he told the member of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Floridain Tampa on Saturday. That we have an agenda that can actually impact that and impact that for the better, and I believe we can do that. As a matter of fact, I believe I can do that, if you all allow me to be the Democratic nominee for governor for the state of Florida, as the crowd cheered.

Elected as mayor in August of 2014 at the age of 35, Gillum has been making decisions in office of late that would undoubtedly appeal to theprogressive wing of the party. He successfully defended Tallahassees gun laws in court after two gun rights group sued the city to try to expand firearms in public parks, and has declared Tallahassee a sanctuary city, a move not many other Florida communities are embracing under the current administration in Washington.

Gillum used the first part of his half-hourspeech to give a quick biography to the progressives who are gathering this weekend at theHillsborough Classroom Teachers Association building in West Tampa. In referring to his public school upbringing (including the fact that he was the first in his family not only to graduate from college, but also high school), he gave a major shoutout to public school teachers, saying that what they do is themost difficult work that happens on Planet Earth.

He ultimately warmed up to tossed some choice red meat for the liberal audience. Rick Scott? Trump before Trump was Trump.

Gillum savaged the Governor for his stance on climate change, declining Medicaid expansion and stimulus money for high-speed rail, and for his reluctance to accept Syrian refugees into the state.

Never mind that the Governor has no right to say whos welcome and who isnt in the state of Florida, but since he took liberties, I took liberties, he said to titters of laughter. I said, come to the Capitol City, where youre welcome, adding,Remember, these are people being forced out of their homes. Their lives are being threatened. Persecuted.

On making Tallahassee a sanctuary city, he chided the use of the term illegal aliens, saying, Illegal is not a noun. You dont call people illegals, he said, saying the term was a way of stripping away someones humanity.

He said Florida should be the capital of solar energy production, adding that if the private sector was too reluctant to be a leader in solar, municipal electric authorities should take the lead, and made sure to mention that his cityis currently building a 200-acre solar farm.

Gillum isalso againstthe construction of the $3 billion, 515-mile Sabal Trail Pipeline planned to run from Alabama through Georgia to Osceola County.

I had to make a public statement against it. I thought it was a no-brainer, I didnt know that you had to do that, but apparently you do, he said, as the audience gave him a hearty round of applause. And he promised to putthe teeth back into the states Department of Environmental Protection.

Regarding the governors race, he spoke to the progressive caucus language by saying that the Democrats wouldnt win in 2018 by being Republican lite.

When our issues on the ballot, absent the candidates name, people agree with us! They stand with us! So what is the disconnect? he asked. I believe we can win by leaning into our values and not running away from them.

Whether you are a working class white voter or a working class black voter or a working class Latino voter, if this economy isnt working for you, youre pissed off! We have to lean into that. This debate about whether we double down on our base or talk to working class white people is ridiculous. You have to go everywhere. We have to go everywhere and we have to talk to everybody.

As proof that hes not just all talk, Gillum mentioned his visit to The Villages last weekend, where he said he spoke to a crowd of 500 people (the Villages Democratic website reported it overflowed the 350-seat recreation center)

Referring to the fact that Democrats suffer tremendously from a lack of participation in off-year elections which happen to coincide for when the state votes for governor and other cabinet positions, Gillum said one reason might be that the party hasnt given voters sufficient motivation to turn out, before quickly emphasizing that he wasnt attacking any recent Democratic statewide candidates.

Gillum is the first major party candidate to enter the race, and has since been joined by Central Florida businessmanChris King. Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine seems likely to announce his candidacy soon, as does former Tallahassee based Congresswoman Gwen Graham. The jury is still out on what Orlando attorney and fundraiser JohnMorgan will end up doing.

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At gathering of progressives in Tampa, Andrew Gillum says ... - Florida Politics (blog)