We're guessing Bill Nelson was as surprised as anyone with Andrew Gillum's victory last night, but the two are now linked in a sprint for November victory.

And Gillum, 39, presents upsides for Nelson.

Gillum has long argued that Nelson, 75, needs him on the ticket, a young African American man who can drive voter turnout in a midterm election.

My congratulations go out to @AndrewGillum on this historic win. pic.twitter.com/gU7g4Xc24c — Nelson for U.S. Senate (@NelsonForSenate) August 29, 2018

At the same time, Gillum escaped some of the scrutiny of other Democratic candidates and his embrace of liberal policies like Medicare for all clashes with Nelson's ultra cautious, middle-0f-the-road politics.

We'll first see Nelson and Gillum together on Friday, as Democrats hold a ticket party in Orlando.