Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
‘Mr. DeSantis’ vs. ‘Andrew’: How governor candidates addressed each other
At one podium stood “Mr. DeSantis.” At the other, “Andrew.”
That’s how Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum referred to each other in their two gubernatorial debates this week. The not-so-subtle difference showed once again that the two candidates line up miles apart. And it annoyed Gillum.
The Democratic nominee later said DeSantis needs to put some “respect” on his name.
“I met him for the first time the other night and then all of a sudden, without invitation, he was calling me only as Andrew. Between the two of us, he quit his job in Congress, I’m a sitting mayor, and he had the nerve to address me only as Andrew?” Gillum said Thursday at Florida Memorial University in Miami
Gardens. “I wanted to correct him, y’all, but I didn’t want to be petty. So, we just we pushed all the way through.”
DeSantis’ campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment. Gillum used “Mr. DeSantis” or “congressman” multiple times. DeSantis resigned his seat in Congress last month to focus on campaigning for governor.
Viewers had plenty to say about the disparity, calling it rude and disrespectful.
“DeSantis calling Gillum “Andrew while Gillum called DeSantis ‘congressman’ and even ‘Mr. DeSantis’ proves that respect only goes one way,” a tweet from Treasure read.
“Calling a grown man who is your OPPONENT by his first name makes you look small. Real, real small, Ron,” Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted.
Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida professor who attended the debate and has spent decades analyzing Florida political races, said the first-name usage was likely more of a generational thing than DeSantis attempting to belittle his opponent.
“Some of this is generationally driven. More and more younger people refer to people in authority in their first names,” she said. But she also had a solution: “I think you should say Congressman DeSantis and Mayor Gillum; then you avoid all of this.” DeSantis is 40; Gillum is 39. Although MacManus didn’t see a slight in DeSantis’ referring to Gillum by his first name, she nevertheless found the debate to be “one of the worst” she has seen.
“Last night’s debate made wrestling and reality TV shows look like kindergarten — like Mr. Rogers,” she said. “It was disappointing to see it disintegrate into personal attacks, and it makes it difficult for people who are encouraging civic engagement.”