{"id":105338,"date":"2018-10-02T08:53:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T12:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=105338"},"modified":"2018-10-02T08:53:54","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T12:53:54","slug":"jus-like-soros-funded-obama-floridas-gillum-backed-by-the-progressive-billionaires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=105338","title":{"rendered":"Jus like Soros funded Obama, Florida&#8217;s Gillum backed by the &#8220;progressive billionaires&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_105339\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/static.politico.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105339\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/static.politico-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" class=\"size-large wp-image-105339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/static.politico-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/static.politico-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/static.politico-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/static.politico.jpg 1160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-105339\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Democratic Florida gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum represents to left-leaning donors everything that the White House doesn\u2019t, making him a pitch-perfect candidate for 2018 in the eyes of the uber-wealthy left. | Joe Raedle\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\" story-intro format-s\">\n<div class=\"summary  \">\n<header class=\"\">\n<h1 class=\" \">Progressive billionaires fall for Florida\u2019s Gillum<\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"subhead\">His backers hope the Democratic gubernatorial candidate could excite the Obama coalition of minority and progressive voters ahead of the 2020 presidential race.<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<footer class=\"meta\">\n<p class=\"byline\">By\u00a0MAGGIE SEVERNS\u00a0and\u00a0MARC CAPUTO<br \/>\nPolitico.com<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Andrew Gillum, the 39-year-old candidate for Florida governor, had a promising primary campaign with a serious shortcoming: he was the only one of five Democratic candidates who didn\u2019t have either a family legacy in politics or millions of dollars of his own to fund his race.<\/p>\n<p>But Gillum\u2019s financial fortunes changed sharply after he sat down in early May with the preeminent angel funder of the progressive movement, billionaire George Soros, in California\u2019s Berkeley Hills.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-interrupt format-s pos-alpha predetermined  fixed-story-third-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"interrupt-item ad\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\">\n<div id=\"pol-05\" class=\"ad-slot js-lazy-load flex vertical \" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the Claremont Club &amp; Spa, according to multiple people familiar with the meeting, Gillum and Soros had a sprawling after-dinner conversation about Gillum\u2019s plans to turn out progressive and non-white voters and then, if he won, to expand Medicaid, recognize the threat of man-made climate change and enact gun control legislation after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, he said, he could help Democrats in 2020 in a state that\u2019s considered a must-win for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlorida is the holy grail,\u201d Gillum told Soros, according to one of the people familiar with the meeting.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<aside class=\"content-group inline-module-florida-playbook\">\n<section class=\"speedbump layout-bi\">\n<div class=\"speedbump-item pos-alpha\">\n<div class=\"spotlight spotlight--flex\">\n<div class=\"summary link-alt fx1\">\n<h2>Florida Playbook newsletter<\/h2>\n<p>Our must-read briefing on what&#8217;s hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n<p>By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Young, charismatic and describing himself as \u201cunapologetically progressive\u201d \u2014 with the potential to become Florida\u2019s first African-American governor and one of only a few black governors ever \u2014 Gillum represents to left-leaning donors everything that the White House doesn\u2019t, making him a pitch-perfect candidate for 2018 in the eyes of the uber-wealthy left, starting with Soros, donors and strategists told POLITICO.<\/p>\n<p>His backers hope that Gillum could excite minority and progressive voters who turn out at lower rates than the state\u2019s older, whiter and traditionally Republican-leaning electorate. That could help Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson fend off a challenge to his seat in November and get Democrats excited for 2020, his billionaire backers believe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has great potential to reassemble the Obama coalition, which would be significant this year, next year, and significant in 2020,\u201d said San Francisco donor Steve Phillips, who said he\u2019s been \u201callies and friends\u201d with Gillum for the past decade. \u201cThis really is a case study and a shining example of how to win elections in a multi-racial electorate that\u2019s getting more diverse every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Heading into the final weeks of Florida\u2019s gubernatorial election, Gillum has attracted a flock of billionaires. His political committee has brought in $3.8 million from people affiliated with the Democracy Alliance of big donors, out of a total of $9.6 million. And the money is still coming in: California billionaire Tom Steyer\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/states\/florida\/story\/2018\/09\/25\/steyer-dumps-5m-more-into-gillum-for-governor-effort-628045\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pledged<\/a>\u00a0$5.2 million to Gillum on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Gillum, who was the youngest Tallahassee city commissioner before he became mayor, needs the cash. Ron DeSantis, his Republican rival for the governorship, has raised a whopping $19 million in one of the most expensive states for campaigning, and DeSantis has billionaire backers ranging from Las Vegas gaming magnate Sheldon Adelson to the conservative Mercer family. The two candidates, however, had about the same amount of cash on hand heading into the final month of campaigning.<\/p>\n<p>Though Democracy Alliance members pledge to give $300,000 annually to approved liberal causes, such as the Center of American Progress and Media Matters, the group doesn\u2019t formally coordinate spending on candidates. The last person to garner similar enthusiasm from donors was Tom Perriello, the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial candidate. But Perriello, unlike Gillum, had years of beltway connections to donors to draw upon \u2014 including as CEO and president of the CAP Action Fund.<\/p>\n<p>Six of the 10 biggest individual donors to Gillum\u2019s campaign and political committee \u2014 including hedge fund magnate Donald Sussman, software founder Stephen Silberstein, San Francisco donor-activist Phillips and social justice advocate Quinn Delaney \u2014 have either self-identified or been publicly identified as members of the progressive donor circle, according to a POLITICO analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Gillum began courting billionaire support well before he met with Soros in person, according to people familiar with the meetings. In mid-March of 2017, he traveled to Soros\u2019 headquarters in New York and met with his two sons, Alex and Jonathan Soros, plus donor-adviser Michael Vachon. At the end of March, Gillum also met staff with Steyer\u2019s NextGen Climate America group in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d come in contact with both individuals before.<b>\u00a0<\/b>Gillum at one time worked for the liberal group People for the American Way, which Soros helped fund. And he founded another organization, the Young Elected Officials Network, which has received funding from both the Democracy Alliance and NextGen.<\/p>\n<p>At the two meetings in March, he brought<b>\u00a0<\/b>maps of Florida showing the counties he thought he could win, the percentage of the youth vote he could turn out and the power of the black vote. Gillum told both Soros\u2019 and Steyer\u2019s groups he could win the Democratic primary.<\/p>\n<p>The Soros team liked what they heard. Alex Soros contributed $50,000 on March 31, and George Soros gave $100,000. George Soros doubled his money in December, leading some major donors to chip in too, and he\u2019d continue giving after the May meeting in California. Soros and his sons have given Gillum\u2019s political committee, Forward Florida, a total of $1.3 million.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Steyer, however, held back after the Gillum presentation in March. He was not planning to pick sides in any Democratic primaries this year.<\/p>\n<p>More than a year later, Gillum gave Steyer another call. But by then, Gillum didn\u2019t need to make his pitch. The staff of NextGen told Steyer he had to endorse in the Florida primary, Steyer told POLITICO.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey really, really, really liked Andrew Gillum. So, they were coming back and going, \u2018Tom get your head out of the sand. This guy\u2019s fantastic,\u2019\u201d Steyer told POLITICO.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGoddammit Andrew. We don\u2019t want to do endorsements. But we\u2019re going to have to,\u201d Steyer said he told Gillum at the time. \u201cBecause he\u2019s so outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In June, Steyer\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/states\/florida\/story\/2018\/06\/28\/steyer-boosts-gillums-struggling-campaign-with-1-million-494849\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a>\u00a0he would convert his NextGen group \u2014 with 120 staff and 1,000 volunteers organized on 45 college campuses \u2014 into Gillum\u2019s field campaign, which was barebones until that point. All told, NextGen spent $1.2 million during the primary, about half of which directly aided Gillum. NextGen and Steyer chipped in an additional $800,000 to Forward Florida and Gillum\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Steyer\u2019s pledge to help Gillum in the primary might only be the start.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, Steyer introduced Gillum at the Miami-Dade County Democrats\u2019 \u201cBlue Gala\u201d and pointed out that, in addition to the on-ground organizing of NextGen, his other campaign \u2014 to impeach Trump \u2014 could also benefit Gillum.<\/p>\n<p>Of 6 million signatures Steyer\u2019s group has gathered calling for the impeachment of Trump, about 400,000 are from Florida, and the group says two-thirds of those people normally don\u2019t vote in a midterm. Steyer said the campaign will contact them daily from this point on to turn them out to vote. Vote-by-mail ballots start going out to voters in Florida on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Among elite contributors, Georgia\u2019s Stacey Abrams, another black progressive running for governor in the South, is the only other candidate to garner a level of excitement on the left this year that comes close to Gillum fervor, donors and operatives told POLITICO.<\/p>\n<p>But in conversations with donors, Gillum\u2019s name inevitably rises to the top of the list, in part because of Florida\u2019s reputation as a presidential swing state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is incredibly bright, a phenomenal speaker, and he\u2019s just a solid person,\u201d said Bill Smith, a founding partner at Civitas Public Affairs and adviser to Democratic donors. \u201cPeople like him and want to follow him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2018\/10\/01\/florida-governor-andrew-gillum-billionaires-854293?cid=apn\">http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2018\/10\/01\/florida-governor-andrew-gillum-billionaires-854293?cid=apn<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Progressive billionaires fall for Florida\u2019s Gillum His backers hope the Democratic gubernatorial candidate could excite the Obama coalition of minority and progressive voters ahead of the 2020 presidential race. By\u00a0MAGGIE SEVERNS\u00a0and\u00a0MARC CAPUTO Politico.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=105338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105338\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=105338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=105338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=105338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}