The Download | September 17th: Governor candidates Andrew Gillum, Stacey Abrams and Benjamin Jealous talk dodging racism
Your daily 60-second politics news recap.
What’s it like to campaign while you’re Black?
Just ask Andrew Gillum, Stacey Abrams and Benjamin Jealous.
The three candidates are running for governor in Florida, Georgia and Maryland and last week they joined CNN commentator Angela Rye at CBC to talk about this very issue.
All three kept it real– saying that even when they see racism at play– they know it’s a trap by opponents and chose to take the higher road by focusing on real issues.
Take a look at the governor’s race in Florida for example, where Andrew Gillum has challenged Ron DeSantis to three separate debates.
Just yesterday, DeSantis confirmed he would debate Gillum– but also implied Gillum would let child molesters free on the streets because he wants to abolish ICE.
As the Tampa Bay Times reported– this is more than just a reach, it’s downright absurd.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, candidate Stacey Abrams points out she didn’t have to change her natural hair, skin color or gender to get people to support her. But she still had to deal with AD saying she was “tapdancing” around issues.
Meanwhile, in Maryland mark your calendars for Sept 24— that’s when former NAACP president Ben Jealous, is scheduled to debate governor Larry Hogan.
It took weeks of negotiation just to make that happen. We’ll see if Jealous can sway voters away from the very popular Republican governor– who has actually criticized Trump.
This has been your D.C. Download.
Follow Natasha S. Alford (@natashasalford) for all the political updates you need to know.
