Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has been in contact with radical leftist and failed gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D), sparking rumors that the presidential hopeful is considering him as a potential running mate.
Warren has been in contact with Gillum — the radical leftist who lost Florida’s gubernatorial race to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last fall — according to the Daily Beast:
And for several candidates, including at least one in the top tier, former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is on speed dial. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), in particular, has been in contact with Gillum over the past several months, multiple knowledgeable sources told The Daily Beast.
While the Warren campaign says that the vice presidential rumors are “baseless and not at all true,” sources who spoke to the Daily Beast said that their relationship is reminiscent of the search process a candidate typically goes through in order to find the right running mate:
One source briefed on the communications said the two Democrats have been in contact over the course of the campaign and that there is a “strong impression” that Gillum is a possible vice presidential contender for Warren, who has risen in recent months to become a frontrunner in the 2020 primary, the source said.
“If you’re trying to win Florida, I would be courting Andrew and that’s what’s happening,” a second source familiar with the conversations said.
Gillum rose to the national spotlight after challenging DeSantis in Florida’s close gubernatorial race last year, earning the support of celebrities like pop sensation Rihanna and rap star Sean “Diddy” Combs. Despite a strong backing from Hollywood, Gillum lost. DeSantis narrowly squeaked out a win in the Sunshine State, besting Gillum by less than half a percentage point, or less than 325,000 votes.
Gillum largely campaigned on many of the far-left’s go-to narratives, such as Medicare for All, gun control, and increased taxation — three issues that particularly resonate with Warren.
As Breitbart News reported in July, Gillum is utilizing his private non-profit in an effort to register 1 million voters and ultimately flip Florida blue. His use of the private non-proft is of interest, as Gillum previously decried the use of “dark money” in politics. By using his private non-profit for such an effort, he can “can disclose much less financial data, including the sources of donations”:
Gillum’s use of the nonprofit, calling itself Forward Florida Action, is notable given the Florida politician’s warning last February about the influence of “dark money” in his own race for governor, referring to entities that obscure their donors. Gillum is deploying his nonprofit for the voter registration drive instead of utilizing his political committee, Forward Florida.
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The change came after the Tampa Bay Timesreported in May that the FBI had subpoenaed records related to his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. This after Gillum’s time as Tallahassee mayor was tied to an FBI probe into city hall corruption, a federal investigation that involved undercover FBI agents going on trips with Gillum.
Like Warren, Gillum has called for Trump’s impeachment and has remained a voice for the far-left flank of the Democrat Party.
Gillum subtly addressed the reports of his conversations with Warren in a tweet on Thursday.
“Many of my friends running to beat @realDonaldTrump call me often — about one thing: how to win Florida,” he wrote, plugging his voter registration drive: