Although Bernie Sanders lost the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton, Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver argues in a new book titled “How Bernie Won” that his candidate succeeded in transforming American politics in important ways.

Exhibit A for that argument could be Andrew Gillum, who may be the most liberal candidate Florida Democrats have ever nominated for governor.

During an interview last week before a book event in Sarasota, Weaver talked about how Sanders moved the Democratic Party to the left on issues such as a $15 minimum wage and Medicare for All, and how progressive candidates are now finding success across the country.

Gillum’s victory in Florida’s Democratic primary for governor was one of the most surprising examples of that progressive surge, and it puts Florida firmly in the national spotlight in 2018.

“Believe me, this race is probably the most watched in the nation by far,” Weaver said.

The Florida governor’s race is viewed by many as a preview of the 2020 presidential contest. Gillum, the African American mayor of Tallahassee, is going up against Ron DeSantis, a conservative congressman who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

“What’s going on here in Florida is of great interest to the country because ... this is an opportunity to see the sort of Trump vision of America versus an alternative that uplifts people,” Weaver said.

The race also is an opportunity for progressives to prove that a strongly liberal candidate can be competitive beyond deep blue regions of the country. If Gillum, who was endorsed by Sanders, can win a swing state like Florida, it will embolden progressives at the national level and could lead to a more liberal Democratic presidential nominee in 2020.

Conversely, if Gillum falls flat it would be a setback for the progressive movement.

Some believe the Florida governor’s mansion may be too great of a reach for a more liberal candidate.

DeSantis certainly is eager to make that argument, blasting Gillum as a “socialist” who is too liberal for Florida and will turn the state into Venezuela.

Weaver laughed off the socialist critique.

“I don’t think it’s effective,” Weaver said. “They called Barack Obama a socialist. They called Hillary Clinton a socialist. Any Democrat who's running for anything is gonna get called a socialist. We can’t get bogged down with their sort of name-calling.”

There are real questions, though, as to whether a candidate such as Gillum, who is so explicit about wanting to expand government programs and raise taxes, can find traction with enough voters to win a state like Florida.

Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale famously said that he planned to raise taxes and ended up being crushed by Ronald Reagan, who won 49 of 50 states.

Gillum has called for increasing Florida’s corporate income tax from 5.5 percent to 7.75 percent to plow an additional $1 billion into public education.

Sanders also did not shy away from calling for tax increases.

To pay for his proposals — which included free college tuition, paid family leave and universal healthcare — Sanders proposed an array of tax hikes, many of them progressive tax schemes that would have forced wealthier individuals to bear a greater share of the tax burden.

Sanders’s tax plan didn’t scare away many Democrats, but it’s unclear how it would be received by a broader electorate. Gillum’s proposed corporate tax hike will offer a test of the general public’s willingness to raise taxes.

“People want honesty from their political leaders,” Weaver said. “Voters know there’s a lot of unmet needs in this country in terms of infrastructure. In Florida you have an environmental algae problem that needs to be cleaned up. People understand that in many places the schools are not in good shape. And people also know that that costs money. They just do. I have faith in voters. I don’t think that they are all running around thinking 'I can get stuff for free and it’s not going to cost anything.'”

“People get it,” Weaver added. “They just don’t want you to waste their money and they don’t want you to spend it on stuff that’s frivolous.”

Sanders already has been to Florida to campaign for Gillum, and Weaver said the senator is committed to “helping Andrew in any way.”

Sanders’ own ambitions could be tied to Gillum’s. If Gillum wins, it could encourage Sanders to seek the presidency in 2020.

Sanders would have a big supporter in Florida, a critical swing state.

“He is seriously weighting it, absolutely,” Weaver said of another Sanders presidential run.

“We’re at a very important moment in American history,” Weaver said, arguing that Trump is taking the country down “a very dangerous path.”

“My personal view is that Bernie is by far the strongest candidate against Trump, always has been,” Weaver said. “He’s the anti-Trump.”