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Miami Beach Mayor Mulls Statewide Run; Tally Mayor Gillum Stays Mum On Gubernatorial Bid

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine mulls a statewide run.
WLRN.org

The Florida Democratic party may be fractured right now, but there’s no shortage of potential gubernatorial candidates. Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine says he’s considering a statewide run.

In a video message Levine says he’s interested in serving on a bigger platform.

“This will be my last term as Mayor of Miami Beach. Now I look forward to exploring ways of exploring how best to explore serving my community and my state," he said.

Geography would be one of Levine’s big issues. Florida is a large state and each region has a different cultural and political identity. Meanwhile Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, also rumored to be considering a gubernatorial bid, is staying mum. He’s embroiled in a fight with the NRA over local gun ordinances.

“Truth is, if I run for Governor, this would be a bad strategy for a launch," Gillum told reporters earlier this week.

Former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham has already said she’s interested in running for Governor and has proven she can win over Republicans. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is said to be pondering a statewide bid and there’s also personal injury lawyer John Morgan, who’s ‘For the People’ Tagline is known statewide.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

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