Parkland survivor David Hogg: Gillum’s message connected to ‘young people’ in Florida

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg praised Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) on Wednesday following his surprise victory in Florida’s gubernatorial primary, saying that Gillum won due to his ability to capture the youth vote.

Hogg, one of the survivors of a February school shooting that left 17 dead at a Florida high school, told The Washington Post that Gillum’s involvement in the movement for stricter gun laws following the shooting inspired many of Florida’s younger voters to turn out on Tuesday.

{mosads}“A lot of the young people I know were excited by him,” Hogg told the Post, adding: “The young people will win.” 

“We as young people will win not by using hate, not by using division,” Hogg continued. “It’s about campaigning and voting.”

Gillum, whose candidacy received a boost from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) earlier this month, edged out establishment favorite Rep. Gwen Graham (D) on Tuesday to capture the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) for the governor’s mansion — currently held by Gov. Rick Scott (R) — in the fall.

The Cook Political Report rates the governor’s race as a “toss-up.”

Gillum’s aides had sought to convince voters that only the Tallahassee mayor could turn out the kind of support in November that Democrats will need to win the governor’s mansion.

“You’ll see a united Republican front come the fall,” aide Geoff Burgan told The Hill earlier this month. “And the mayor is the only Democrat that can bring out the base in the same way.”

Gun violence has remained on the minds of voters ahead of the midterms but recent polls show the issues of health care, immigration reform, and general dissatisfaction with government are still resonating.

Hogg and other survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School shooting formed “March For Our Lives” in the aftermath of the massacre. The group drew tens of thousands of protesters to Washington, D.C., and other cities earlier this year to protest gun violence and call for stricter gun control laws.