Former Tallahassee mayor and candidate for Florida governor Andrew Gillum is entering a rehabilitation center following his highly publicized Miami Beach hotel room ordeal.
What We Know:
- Gillum, a democrat and CNN contributor, said in a statement, “I now need to firmly focus on myself and my family. I will be stepping down from all public facing roles for the foreseeable future. I want to apologize to my family, friends and the people of Florida who have supported me and put their faith in me over the years. I ask that you respect my and my family’s privacy during this time. Thank You.”
- Although Gillum didn’t go into detail about the hotel debacle – which took place Thursday evening – he did admit that it has been a “wake up call”.
- Gillum, 40, said in a previous statement that he was in Miami Beach for a wedding and did not use illegal drugs. “While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines,” Gillum said. “I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement.”
- An internet search for Travis Dyson, 30, the second man discovered with Gillum, yielded a profile of a male escort with the same name. A third individual, Aldo Mejias, 56, was also staying in the same hotel room, and called Miami Beach Fire Rescue when he discovered Gillum vomiting in the bathroom and Dyson in the midst of a suspected overdose.
- Gillum became a star in the Democratic party when he scored an upset victory in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor only to narrowly lose to Republican Ron DeSantis in the general election. A super PAC helped Gillum in the election and now is helping other black candidates in 2020. Since losing, Gillum started a campaign to sign up voters for the 2020 presidential election.
- “Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse. I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles. I am committed to doing the personal work to heal fully and show up in the world as a more complete person.”
- On Facebook Sunday, Gillum’s wife, R. Jai Gillum, thanked the couple’s friends for their prayers and took a shot at critics reveling in news of her husband’s downfall. “In times of great uncertainty, one thing is clear,” she wrote. “This too, shall pass.”
No charges were filed against Gillum; but with murmurs of many kinds gaining volume, it’ll be interesting to see where the narrative ends up.
Former FL Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum was in a Miami Beach hotel room last night where a man had "a possible drug overdose," according to a police report.
The report doesnt say Gillum possessed or used illegal drugs. Here's what we know re: the report 1/x pic.twitter.com/wuCdm91gxp
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) March 13, 2020
Gillum statement:
I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends. While I had too much to drink I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of FL for the distraction pic.twitter.com/pVs8wigSj1
— Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) March 13, 2020
