JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Democratic candidate for governor spent his Labor Day in Jacksonville and attended a Jumbo Shrimp game at the baseball grounds.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum called for his Republican opponent, Ron DeSantis, to have a more civil campaign, but New4Jax political analyst Rick Mullaney doesn’t think the political attacks will slow down.
Gillum addressed accusations of racism in the race for governor while taking on what he said is a need for stricter gun control and discussing his thoughts on Florida's gun problem.
He talked about attacks from his opponent, which he characterized as weaponizing racism.
"I was a little bit surprised. The day after we secured our nominations things went south. I think that was the beginning of a deep dive to the swamp, and I don’t think that’s where we want this race to be," said Gillum.
The Democratic gubernatorial nominee said he supports stricter gun control regulations. "That goes without saying. If you want to carry a gun, in my opinion, you at least ought to have a background check. I don’t believe weapons that can fire off 60 rounds in 60 seconds have any place on our street," Gillum said
Another issue in the election has to do with fears over hacking. Recent reports in USA Today claim civil rights groups are on high alert for cyber threats as they register minorities.
Siottis Jackson, with First Coast Leadership Foundation, runs a Jacksonville get-out-the-vote effort, and said they’ve already prepared.
"We’ve been on top of it. We’re part of a national coalition for voter education. So we started early back in April, meeting with supervisors of elections," said Jackson.
Hacking, gun control and allegations of racism. News4Jax political analyst Rick Mullaney said it's just the beginning.
"This is a battle between two people who disagree ideologically, who have different approaches, and I expect the national attention will continue, in fact, I think it will increase over time," said Mullaney.
The DeSantis campaign was low-key Monday with the Republican gubernatorial nominee spending the day with family. But a rally is planned Thursday in Orlando with both Gov. Scott and his primary opponent, Adam Putnam. Political experts say the rally will focus on uniting the GOP going into the general election.