Andrew Gillum, as he mulls future political plans, heads to Harvard

The former Tallahassee mayor, selected for a spring fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School, will help lead a not-for-credit study group during his time at the university.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics announced Thursday that the former Democratic gubernatorial nominee will be one of ten fellows during the upcoming spring semester.

His colleagues will include former U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va. and fellow Floridian and former U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who also narrowly lost his race last year to Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

(Curbelo has also joined NBC News and MSNBC as a political contributor, Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski said Thursday. He is eyeing a return to public office, telling the Miami Herald shortly after the election that he might run for county mayor in 2020.)

Gillum, Comstock and Curbelo will be among six “resident” fellows who hold office hours while they reside on campus and lead an eight-week study group (though not for credit) on “a particular subject according to their experience, interests, and expertise.”

It was not announced what those subjects would be, though former U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Gary Cohn, Trump’s former chief economic advisor — among four additional “visiting” fellows — will lead weekly discussions on the state of the economy, the university announced.

Gillum, despite his November loss that triggered one of three statewide recounts, is still regarded as a rising political star in the Democratic Party. His donor and volunteer lists in Florida are seen as assets in battleground Florida, and he is likely to be a widely-courted endorsement as more Democratic candidates jump into the 2020 presidential race.

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