--- title: 'A Hit Dog Will Holler.' Andrew Gillum Debate Goes Viral description: Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum went after his Republican opponent Ron DeSantis' associations with racists at a Florida gubernatorial debate. canonical: https://time.com/5434734/andrew-gillum-a-hit-dog-will-holler/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-25T16:25:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:55:39.481Z og:title: Moment from Florida's Gubernatorial Debate Went Viral og:description: Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum went after his Republican opponent og:url: https://time.com/5434734/andrew-gillum-a-hit-dog-will-holler/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa463871d9c704c7/69893d78656a3fb400bd5cc8/andrew-gillum-hit-dog-will-holler.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Andrew-Gillum-Hit-Dog-Will-Holler og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Moment from Florida's Gubernatorial Debate Went Viral twitter:description: Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum went after his Republican opponent twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa463871d9c704c7/69893d78656a3fb400bd5cc8/andrew-gillum-hit-dog-will-holler.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'A Hit Dog Will Holler.' This Moment from Florida's Gubernatorial Debate Went Viral > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Oct 25, 2018 4:25 PM UTC  Democrat Andrew Gillum makes a point during his debate with Republican Ron DeSantis at Broward College October 24, 2018 in Davie, Florida. Democrat Andrew Gillum makes a point during his debate with Republican Ron DeSantis at Broward College October 24, 2018 in Davie, Florida. Wilfredo Lee-Pool/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Oct 25, 2018 4:25 PM UTC Even in key states like [Florida](http://time.com/5434033/florida-girls-arrested-knives-blood/), [gubernatorial debates](http://time.com/5349541/stacey-abrams-georgia/) are not often the source of national attention. But when [Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum](http://time.com/5395686/historic-candidates-midterms-2018/) went after his [Republican opponent Ron DeSantis’](http://time.com/5381672/ron-desantis-andrew-gillum/) associations with racists at a debate on Wednesday, a clip of the moment racked up more than 4 million views. “My grandmother used to say, ‘A hit dog will holler,’ and it hollered through this room,” Gillum said, referencing a [19th century proverb](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/25/hit-dog-will-holler-old-proverb-used-by-andrew-gillum-suggest-ron-desantis-harbors-racist-views/?utm%5Fterm=.0de60f507a1b) that suggests that a defensive response to a statement indicates guilt. “Mr. DeSantis has spoken. First of all, [he’s got neo-Nazis helping him out](https://www.businessinsider.com/white-supremacist-group-attacks-andrew-gillum-with-racist-robocall-2018-8) in this state. He has [spoken at racist conferences](https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/desantis-speaks-at-david-horowitz-freedom-center-conference/2018/09/10/6c070cc4-b297-11e8-8b53-50116768e499%5Fvideo.html?utm%5Fterm=.53240f06d888). He [accepted a contribution and would not return it](https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/GOP-Gov-Nominee-Ron-DeSantis-Not-Returning-Cash-to-Donor-Who-Called-Former-Pres-Obama-N-word-493927761.html) from someone who referred to the former president of the United States as a Muslim n—–. When asked to return that money, he said no. He’s using that money to now fund negative ads. Now, I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.” > [](https://twitter.com/AndrewGillum/status/1055265872930095104) The heated moment quickly began making the online rounds after Gillum tweeted it out on Wednesday, with [some pointing out](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/25/18022094/gillum-desantis-florida-governor-debate-racists) that politicians are often hesitant to directly suggest that their opponents are racist or complicit with racism. U.S. Rep. DeSantis is best known around the country for his own viral moment, an ad he aired during the Republican primary race for governor in which he encouraged his daughter to, “Build the wall,” with toy blocks and read President Donald Trump’s book _The Art of the Deal_ aloud to his infant son. A [Siena College/_New York Times_ poll](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/governor/florida/) taken Oct. 23-24 showed Gillum with an eight-point lead over DeSantis among likely voters. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5434734/andrew-gillum-a-hit-dog-will-holler/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5434734/andrew-gillum-a-hit-dog-will-holler/"},"headline":"'A Hit Dog Will Holler.' 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