Andrew Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor who ran to the left of the field and rallied with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), rode a late surge to victory in the race for the Democratic nomination for governor of Florida, the Associated Press projected. He defeated a field that included Gwen Graham, a one-term member of Congress whose father served as U.S. senator and Florida governor, and Philip Levine, the wealthy former mayor of Miami Beach.

Gillum, 39, energized the party base in a five-way race by presenting himself as the only non-millionaire and backing an agenda that included Medicare-for-All. He received the endorsement of Sanders, who campaigned with him, declaring: “The other side has the money, Andrew has the people.”  

Gillum is the first African American to win a major-party nomination for governor in Florida. 

Gillum had lagged behind Graham but was helped by a late infusion of $650,000 from a group led by liberal billionaires Tom Steyer and George Soros.