Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 10-30-18

Feature
Andrew Gillum Makes Stop In Tampa To Rally Voters
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
When Tampa resident Wade N. Collins, III, goes to the polls on Election Day, he will cast his ballot as a first-time voter.
Collins, 33, said he didn’t feel obligated to exercise his right in pre- vious years. But this time is different.
“The country is being destroyed,” he said. “Before, I felt like the country wasn’t being destroyed. That was a mistake.”
Collins was one of about 200 people gathered inside the Cordelia B. Hunt Community Center at Al Lopez Park on Saturday to see Dem- ocratic gubernatorial candidate An- drew Gillum. Tampa was one of several stops the Tallahassee mayor made during a weekend swing through the bay area, including Clearwater and St. Petersburg.
But he wasn’t alone. A handful of Democratic leaders addressed the crowd before Gillum’s appearance, including State Rep. Janet Cruz – who is running for the Florida Senate – and Sen. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville.
With less than a week before the General Election, Gillum urged the
After spending time at the Rally with Andrew Giullum on Saturday, Wade Collins, III, will cast his ballot as a first- time voter.
talk about it,” he said.
Gillum said he and other Democ-
rats seek to move the state forward on issues like criminal justice reform and Medicaid expansion and foster an environment of inclusion.
“We’re trying to create a table that’s big enough and wide enough to hold all of us,” he said.
He cautioned that voters avoid “taking this race for granted,” re- minding the audience that the next governor will oversee major changes in the state’s redistricting maps as well as environmental protections.
“The one who wins is the one who gets one more vote,” he said. “I need you to lean in like you’ve never leaned in before.”
Paulette Walker, of Tampa, said she’s heeding Gillum’s call and encouraging others to do the same.
“We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go,” she said. “We can do it, but we’ve got to bring it home.”
Carolyn Wilson said Gillum’s speech moved her to vote early rather than wait until Election Day.
“I didn’t have any intentions of coming (to the rally),” she said. “I saw the bus and came over and I’m so glad I did. He’s so inspiring.”
crowd to casts their votes not only for him, but also other Democrats who “want to move this state forward.”
“Let’s not sleep on our progress,” he said. “We can’t sleep on it because the other side, they are addicted to power and they will do anything to maintain that power. We have to be
as determined and committed.” Gillum called out his opponent, former U. S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, for failing to articulate his plans should he win the seat in the gover-
nor’s mansion.
“If they are confident in their vi-
sion for the future, why don’t they
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3