My wife and I checked out the “Women For Gillum” rally at Waterworks Park last Friday. A crowd of about 500 braved the humidity. And I was not the only guy. Nor the only guy to go next door to get a plastic cup of Ulele stout to offset the heat. Good synergy.
The stage was filled with A-list women Dems–from Kathy Castor and Janet Cruz to Ione Townsend and Alex Sink. The crowd was diverse, not unlike a Gasparilla Children’s Parade turnout–Black, White, Hispanic. Older, younger. Kids and parents. Not even an infiltrator with a bull horn yelling something about “George Soros” could dampen the enthusiasm.
We all know that a blue wave is not guaranteed, but it can’t happen without a show of activism and enthusiasm. Boxes checked.
Gillum, who was introduced by Congresswoman Castor, hit his main speaking points: from Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reform to restoring power to environmental agencies, raising teacher salaries and standing up to the NRA. He’s obviously a natural campaigner and patiently accommodated parents with little kids who had queued up for smiling selfies after the formal rally.
But he also underscored the bottom line. “If we vote, we win,” he declared, without cracking a smile.