Big-name black celebrities help boost Gillum’s run for governor
Prominent African-American celebrities are traveling to Florida, posting on social media and giving money to help make Andrew Gillum the first black governor in Florida history.
The Gillum supporters represent a range of people from the worlds of entertainment in politics, many of whom can reach people who normally aren’t heavily engaged in elections and voting. Gillum needs voters, such as young people and minorities, whose participation normally lags in midterm elections.
The biggest name, former President Barack Obama, visits Miami on Friday for a rally in support of Gillum and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
“The race at this point is about turning out our votes,” Gillum said in a CNN interview Thursday morning. “I’m looking forward to the president helping us break through to different audiences and constituencies, and yes, helping us turn out as many voters as we possibly can of Election Day.”
Gillum supporters include Niecy Nash, who stars in the in advance comedy-drama “Claws” set in Manatee County; director, writer and producer Ava DuVernay, whose films include “Selma” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” and is responsible for the TV drama “Queen Sugar;” and Grant Hill, the former NBA player whose teams included the Orlando Magic and who is currently a host on NBA-TV.
The effort to bring celebrities to support Gillum seems more like a presidential campaign than a midterm election for Florida governor.
Celebrities who have campaigned for Gillum in South Florida include the actor and producer Kendrick Sampson, best known for roles in “How to Get Away with Murder,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “Gracepoint;” director and producer Lee Daniels, whose films include “Monster’s Ball,” “Precious,” and “The
Butler” and the TV series “Empire;” and Tracee Ellis Ross, who stars in “blackish” on TV.
“They are a draw,” said Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness, one of Gillum’s earliest supporters. “People look to them. They watch them on television. They watch them in the movies, and there is affinity toward many of these celebrities. So they are utilizing the star power that they have to make a difference.”
“The celebrities have the biggest megaphone,” said Stephanie Desir Jean, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Acee Hastings, a Broward-Palm Beach Democrat and senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“When somebody uses their megaphone to support someone and call us to action to get behind that person, it is of great impact. It shows that, Wow, this is a big deal. We need all hands on deck. This is not one of those things to sit out,” Jean said.
“Ava DuVernay does a show that is on Oprah’s network. Her voice, just like the political figures that we have, is impactful,” Jean said.
Sharon Austin, a political scientist and director of African-American studies at the University of Florida, said the celebrities can help Gillum reach critical voting blocs.
“With someone like Niecy Nash, she is someone who has name recognition among young people, but also has name recognition among African-American women, and that’s a constituency that Andrew Gillum really does need to have turn out in large numbers,” Austin said.
Jean said she doesn’t think the impact is limited to African-American and Caribbean-American voters. “I think it goes over that. It matters to everybody to hear these people, these national voices, these voices we see on CNN, on MSNBC. It matters,” she said.
Their social media followings are another plus for candidates. Tweets from celebrities are “very influential” with younger voters, Austin said.
On Instagram, Gillum has 179,000 followers. Nash has 1.4 million. That allows her to give broad exposure, even though most of her followers aren’t from Florida. Nash has touted Gillum on Twitter and posted a video on Instagram that’s had 38,000 views.
The comedian and TV host W. Kamau Bell retweeted an attack on Gillum from President Donald Trump this week — and told his followers that there’s no better endorsement of Gillum than criticism from Trump. “Florida, vote for Andrew Gillum,” Bell tweeted.
And the actress Gabrielle Union, wife of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, has tweeted several times in support of Gillum to her 3.99 million followers. “Proud early voter for @AndrewGillum FLORIDA PLEASE VOTE! #BringItHome,” she wrote at 12:14 a.m. Thursday.
Gillum also has support of other celebrities, including TV producer and liberal activist Norman Lear. The actress Alyssa Milano and former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have traveled to Florida to support Gillum.
He hasn’t gotten a visit from the biggest celebrity, Oprah. On Thursday she’s campaigning in Georgia with Stacey Abrams, who is running to become the first black female governor in the nation’s history. The only two black elected governors have been Doug Wilder in Virginia in 1989 and Deval Patrick in Massachusetts in 2006.
Some celebrities help in other ways too. The filmmaker, actor and producer Tyler Perry, best known for the “Madea” character in his movies, gave $100,000 to Gillum’s Forward Florida political committee.
Prominent black political leaders have also visited South Florida to support Gillum, including U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., an icon of the civil rights movement; Eric Holder, U.S. attorney general for most of the Obama administration; and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, DCalif.
An online video featuring
“When somebody uses their megaphone to support someone and call us to action to get behind that person, it is of great impact. It shows that, Wow, this is a big deal. We need all hands on deck. This is not one of those things to sit out.” Stephanie Desir Jean, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Acee Hastings
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, DN.J., praising Gillum has been viewed 322,000 times.
“Listen I’m a Jersey boy, but I love Florida. And I’m going to say this in the name of love I’m asking everybody out there to support Andrew,” Booker said. “His election will change not just Florida for the better, but will change America. But this is all talk. We’ve got to get action going.”
(Many of the political figures have dual agendas. Booker, Harris and Holder are all considering whether to run for president in 2020. Having supported Gillum, especially if he becomes governor, is useful for anyone running for president.)
Aside from Obama, appearances by prominent black politicians don’t have the same impact as other celebrities, said former Florida Senate Democratic Leader Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale, who participated in a Broward rally for Gillum that featured Holder.
“People who know who Eric Holder is, people who know who Cory Booker is, they’re going to vote. People who know who Kamala Harris is, they’re going to vote,” Smith said. “But people who watch ‘Claws’ and watch Niecy Nash, that may get them to vote. … Bringing those celebrities in, that gets the casual voter.”
Michael Barnett, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, acknowledged that the celebrity support can help a campaign. “It brings attention to the candidate and the campaign that it might not have gotten otherwise. People are attracted to the celebrities, and people are attracted to the candidates they support,” he said.
That doesn’t mean they can change the outcome, Barnett said, pointing to the support from music artist Jay-Z and Beyoncé for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.