Orlando businessman Chris King is joining Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum on the campaign trail. Gillum announced King as his Lieutenant Governor pick Thursday on Facebook live.
The Gillum-King ticket is promoting issues like gun control a repeal of the state’s Stand Your Ground Law and a higher minimum wage.
King has also promoted affordable housing at a time when rental prices and home prices across the state are rising. Speaking to WFSU during the primary cycle, King noted many of his ideas were later adopted by other candidates:
“Take for instance, affordable housing. I was the candidate for governor that put this on the map and said this is perhaps the greatest economic issues in the State of Florida…I was the first candidate to take on the sugar industry and say I wouldn’t take their money.”
In the run-up to the announcement, several names were floated as being on Gillum’s short-list. During Gillum’s Facebook live, some viewers expressed disappointment that former North Florida Congresswoman Gwen Graham wasn’t the pick. She was also defeated in the primary. The Gillum-King ticket marks a strong, progressive bent. Gillum says both men share similar views on issues like criminal justice reform and environmental preservation.
“And what this race will be about is where we want to go as a state, not where we’ve been, but where we want to go. We believe collectively that common sense, optimism and inspiration—all of that will win out.”
Gillum and King will go up against Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis and his running-mate, state Representative Jeannette Nunez. Democrats want to regain control of the governor’s mansion for the first time in 20 years.
--
Original Story: King lost to Gillum in the primary, but he says he formed a friendship with Gillum as they criss-crossed the state.
“I came to admire him. His gifts, his talents and most importantly his vision for the state of Florida. To lift up families all across this state who’ve not had a champion like Mayor Gillum," King said Thursday.
The Gillum-King ticket is promoting issues like gun control a repeal of the state’s Stand Your Ground Law and a higher minimum wage. They face Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis and his L-G pick, state Representative Jeanette Nunez in November.
