Former first lady Hillary Clinton will join Andrew Gillum in South Florida Oct. 23, the gubernatorial candidate's campaign announced Thursday.
"I'm honored to have Secretary Clinton join me in Florida next month," Gillum said in a statement. "Hillary knows just what's at stake in this election -- affordable healthcare, a brighter future for our children -- and that the choice in this election could not be clearer."
For now, Gillum's campaign is declining to say when or where Clinton will appear with the candidate, who remains ahead of GOP nominee Ron DeSantis in the polls. Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, was reportedly on Clinton's short list for running mates during her failed 2016 bid for president against Donald Trump, although his August appearance with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has drawn far more national attention.
Thursday's announcement drew mixed reactions. Some of Gillum's supporters panned the news on social media, with Miami filmmaker Billy Corben quipping on Twitter that "even Hillary voters don't want to see or hear from her again."
Meanwhile, DeSantis' campaign responded with a statement that mentioned the FBI's investigation into Clinton's use of a personal email account while she was secretary of state as a way to remind voters that there's an ongoing FBI investigation into the city of Tallahassee's Community Redevelopment Agency.
"I'm sure they'll have lots to talk about when it comes to criminal investigations and dealings with the FBI," said DeSantis spokesman Stephen Lawson.
But Ben Pollara, a Democratic consultant based in Miami, noted that Clinton performed extremely well in Miami-Dade County in 2016. And Broward remains the biggest Democratic stronghold in the state of Florida.
"Definitely a good thing," he said.
(c)2018 Miami Herald
