Entertainment

US voter’s hilarious conversation with campaign volunteer goes viral

‘Oh lord, I didn’t know you were a real person. I’m sorry.’
‘Oh lord, I didn’t know you were a real person. I’m sorry.’

Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum may have lost his gubernatorial election battle in Florida, US, but one of his young voters can at least take solace from a rib-tickling 15 minutes of fame.

Student Bernard Jennings, 20, has gone viral after he posted a conversation he had via text message with a volunteer promoting Gillum’s campaign.

Bernard received numerous texts from the volunteers in the month leading up to the election, but he thought it was an automated system messaging him – which resulted in him letting them know he voted on election day in a manner he quickly apologised for.

The text conversation between Bernard and the volunteer
(@FoolishNard/Twitter)

“I read the first couple texts and assumed they were robots,” Bernard, from Jacksonville, told the Press Association.

“The only thing I see right now that I could learn from this is to do a little research before I assume.”

Others on Twitter shared similar experiences in response to Bernard’s viral post, with some telling their local candidate’s volunteers to “f*** off” under the impression the messaging was automated.

Others were inspired by Bernard’s post to send messages of thanks to those behind the text messages.

Bernard studies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, the same college Gillum graduated from, and said he now appreciates all the texts he received because “it was only for a greater good”.

Gillum, 39, missed out on the Florida governorship by a narrow margin to Republican Ron DeSantis.

Elsewhere in the US midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s Republican Party lost its majority in the House of Representatives, but retained control of the Senate.