Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D-FL) at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum won the Democratic nomination for Florida governor Tuesday night, setting the stage for a fierce November face-off with Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis in one of the country’s largest swing states.
Why it matters: Gillum, 39, is the first African American to win a major party nomination for Florida governor. He joins other candidates of color who have made history, including Stacey Abrams in Georgia, who became the first black woman in the country to win a major party’s gubernatorial primary. Democrats have also nominated gubernatorial candidates of color in Maryland, Idaho and Texas.