They are two of the three “I-4 mayors” who have jumped on the Andrew Gillum bandwagon.

TAMPA BAY – St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn on Thursday (Oct. 4) endorsed Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to be the next governor of Florida.

They were two of three mayors who joined Gillum and Chris King, who is running for lieutenant governor, in Orlando for the announcement. The third mayor was Buddy Dyer of Orlando. All three are Democrats.

The announcement was made as the five stood before I-4, the highway linking Orlando to Tampa Bay. As the leaders of the three largest cities in Florida’s crucial “I-4 Corridor,” the mayors  praised Gillum’s vision to make Florida work for everyday people and cited his experience as mayor of Tallahassee as critical to partnering with local communities to ensure access to quality, affordable healthcare, a great public education for every child, and a clean, healthy environment.

“Mayor Gillum has been solving problems for real people in Tallahassee and as governor, he’ll be a true partner to people all across the I-4 Corridor. He believes that it’s time to make this state work for everyday people and work with mayors like us to do it. As mayors in this region, we are showing you can be pro-people, pro-business and progressive and that too, is Andrew Gillum’s vision for Florida, too,” Kriseman said.

Buckhorn added, “Andrew Gillum represents for this state our best hopes, our best aspirations, the best opportunity to reverse 20 years of Republican control. […] I need a governor who’s going to pay more attention to the PTA and less attention to the NRA. […] I need a governor who cares about the kids in our schools who are spending more time doing active shooter prep than they are doing SAT prep. We need Andrew Gillum.”

Dyer said, “I am proud to stand with two of the best mayors in all of America, my friends from Tampa and St. Pete, to endorse the next great governor of the state of Florida, Andrew Gillum and the next lieutenant governor of Florida –– from Orlando –– Chris King. The stakes could not be higher for the I-4 Corridor and that’s why the three mayors are here today. Our residents in St. Pete and Tampa and Orlando can make the difference in this race. I can tell you that statewide elections are won or lost in the I-4 Corridor, and we’re going to win this one.”

Gillum said he was proud to receive the support of the three mayors.

“I am honored to to have the support of Mayors Kriseman, Buckhorn and Dyer and together we will make strides to help our communities and the entire state of Florida. As governor, I intend on having a productive and collaborative partnership with mayors all across Florida to reach the common goal of putting everyday people first and making sure everyone in our state can thrive,” Gillum said.

Gillum says he is running for governor to take back Florida for everyday working people, who have struggled to get ahead under 20 years of Republican rule.

As mayor of Tallahassee, Gillum said he has helped develop a thriving innovation economy, beat the gun lobby in court to protect common sense gun safety laws, and stood up to President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott to defend immigrants.

During Gillum’s tenure as Mayor, violent crime fell more than 10 percent and Tallahassee developed into the fastest growing economy per capita in Florida, according to the Gillum campaign.

As governor, Gillum said he will ensure Floridians have access to affordable and quality healthcare, properly funded schools, and clean air and water.

Gillum, a Democrat, is facing Republican Ron DeSantis in the general election.

Voting has already begun as mail-in ballots have been sent out. The election is Nov. 6. The last day to register to vote in the election is Tuesday (Oct. 9). For online voter registration, go to registertovoteflorida.gov.

For information about Gillum, go to andrewgillum.com.

In-story photos courtesy of the Andrew Gillum campaign.

Main photo shows, from left, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

Andrew Gillum | Rick Kriseman | Bob Buckhorn | Politics | Elections | Tampabay News

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