Some Florida voters receive racist robocall mocking gubernatorial candidate

ORLANDO, Fla. — The campaign for the Democratic candidate, which was behind a major upset in the primary for Florida governor, is confirming some voters have received a racially charged robocall mocking the candidate.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate, will face U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, the Republican candidate, in the fall.

The robocall mocking Gillum began making the rounds two days ago.

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Gillum’s campaign said they’ve only heard of the calls in Tallahassee so far.

The New York Times reports the call has monkey noises in the background.

On the call, someone says, “I is Andrew Gillum,” and continues to mock the candidate while asking voters for support, the Times reports.

At the end of the call, the narrator said a group called “The Road to Power” paid for the call. The Road to Power is an Idaho-based podcast with white supremacist content.

During an interview with CNN, Gillum said the call was deeply regrettable.

"I mean on the day right after I secured the Democratic nomination, we had to deal with some of the dog whistles directly from my opponent," Gillum said to CNN.

DeSantis said the remark Gillum is referring to is not a racist dog whistle. He said the robocall is “repugnant and disrespectful.”

UCF political science professor Aubrey Jewett sad he expected this race to become racially charged.

“But I certainly didn't think it was going to happen so quickly; I mean basically it was a day after the primary election,” said Jewett.

He believes the robocall will end up backfiring on those responsible for it.

Cox Media Group