The survey will not derail the pressure to "tip the blue of Florida"

ORLANDO – Andrew Gillum said Friday before a packed house of Democratic activists and worshipers that he would not let a federal investigation stop him from registering Florida voters before the presidential election next year.

Addressing a crowd of more than 100 people at a Florida Democrats rally in Orlando, Gillum described the federal inquiry as "unsettling" – which he described as "dangerous". 39 "investigation." He stated that he had "no idea" of the research that the federal authorities are conducting.

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He stated that he was proud of his run for governorship in 2018, which he had loosened by under Republican Ron DeSantis.

"We have run an open and honest campaign," Gillum told reporters Friday after greeting the Democrats at a reception hosted by Disney Resort as part of the party's annual Leadership Blue meeting. "I stand at the work we did there."

A North Florida federal grand jury summoned information about the campaign to Gillum's governorship, its political committee, and related non-profit groups. Last year, the former mayor of Tallahassee had stated that he was not the target of a corruption investigation conducted by the FBI. The investigation culminated in charges against a Tallahassee Commissioner.

Gillum, considered a rising star of the party after his defeat at DeSantis, announced in March an ambitious plan to register up to 1 million voters in an effort to prevent President Donald Trump to reclaim Florida, the country's largest battlefield state, in 2020.

At the Leadership Blue reception in Orlando on Friday, Gillum stood on a platform to tell attendees that he was willing to take "slings" and "arrows", but that his supporters and himself would not be distracted from their work to "tilt Florida into blue."

The question, however, is whether the federal inquiry could dampen the enthusiasm of donors. Gillum said his group had raised $ 800,000 in recent weeks, including $ 250,000 after the news of the subpoena.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democratic Democrat elected nationwide and de facto leader of the State Party, said she was not afraid that legal problems Gillum's ability to raise funds or register voters is hampered.

"A person is not the party," Fried told the press on Friday. "I think people are enthusiastic, motivated to register as Democrats.

"When people vote and the good points are on the ballot, the good points win," she said.

Fried said that she knew nothing specific about the federal inquiry related to Gillum or others in her political orbit.

Christian Ulvert, a Democratic consultant in South Florida, said the momentum taken in early 2020 was enough to overcome the legal issues facing Gillum, the face of the Democratic voter registration campaign, could face.

"Anything related to that will not slow the momentum," said Ulvert, "it's already started, and he's coordinating with the Democratic Party of Florida, so we're well positioned."

Gillum's non-profit group, Forward Florida Action, has already donated $ 100,000 to the party to strengthen its registration efforts. The money will be donated to the Democratic Party of Florida and the progressive organizations of South Florida with a voter registration infrastructure.

"Well, he has a $ 4 million advance, is not it?" Said Ulvert, referring to the money that Gillum had collected during the campaign's nomination for the post of Governor last year, but that he had not spent.

Gillum's appearance at Blue Leadership came just hours after the Florida ethics commission approved an agreement with the former mayor of Tallahassee to resolve Gillum's travel charges in New York and New York. in Costa Rica.

Under the agreement, Gillum will pay a fine of US $ 5,000 and admit a violation of state ethics laws for accepting a gift worth over US $ 100 from a lobbyist.