August 29, 2018campaign rhetoriccivil rightselectionspublic discourseracism in americaanti Blackcampaign rhetoric
DeSantis warns Florida not to monkey this up after Gillum wins nomination
Ron DeSantis, then the Republican nominee for Florida governor, used racially loaded language the morning after Andrew Gillum became the first Black major-party nominee for governor in Florida. DeSantis denied racist intent, but the remark drew immediate criticism because it was directed at a Black opponent in a historically charged campaign context.