Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will hold a rally in support of Florida Democrat gubernatorial candidate and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum on Wednesday, the same day President Donald Trump is scheduled to boost the state’s Republican candidate for governor Ron DeSantis at a campaign event.
Sanders is slated to boost Gillum at the University of Central Florida at 11:00 a.m. EST, according to the gubernatorial
candidate’s website. The progressive lawmaker and 2020 Democrat hopeful campaigned for Gillum at UFC over the summer, telling a packed arena that the Tallahassee mayor “understands that the future of this state and the future of this country is with the young people.”
Hours later, President Trump will hold a rally for DeSantis in Fort Myers, Florida, where Republican Florida senatorial candidate Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) will also make an appearance. Scott is locked in a tight race against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL).
The Halloween rally will come just days after President Trump unloaded on Gillum amid mounting questions about an FBI investigation targeting Tallahassee officials, referring to the Democrat as a “thief” and an ineffective mayor.
“In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!,” the president tweeted.
Gillum, who has recently found himself in hot water after accepting a ticket to the musical Hamilton from an undercover FBI agent, fired back at the president on Twitter, saying one should “never wrestle with a pig.”
“I heard @realDonaldTrump ran home to @FoxNews to lie about me,” Gillum tweeted. “But as my grandmother told me — never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it. So ignore him and vote, Florida!”
The University of North Florida poll released earlier today shows Gillum holding a six-point lead over his Republican rival, 49 percent to 43 percent among likely voters surveyed.