Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in 2018, was arrested by Alabama police on drug charges last week.
The Democratic politician was booked into jail last Thursday on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana, according to a local Florida news outlet. Shortly thereafter, he was released from jail.
Gillum has not addressed the incident publicly, but this is not the first time he has faced legal troubles.
In 2020, the former DeSantis foe was found inebriated inside a Miami Beach hotel room with two other men and three bags of suspected crystal meth. He denied he had taken drugs, but he admitted to drinking too much alcohol while staying at the hotel for a wedding. Gillum was not arrested or charged in connection with the event.
For the latest incident, Gillum could face up to one year in jail and a $6,000 fine if he’s convicted of the marijuana offense, considered a Class A misdemeanor in Alabama. The Daphne Police Department has not released details on the specific circumstances surrounding the Florida Democrat’s arrest.
In 2023, he was acquitted by a federal jury of lying to the FBI in a corruption case involving allegations of his illegal misuse of campaign contributions between 2016 and 2019. During this time, he ran for governor of Florida.
In the 2018 gubernatorial election, DeSantis defeated Gillum by 0.4 percentage points. Because the election was so close, a statewide voting recount was triggered. Gillum ultimately conceded the race less than two weeks later.
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The failed gubernatorial candidate later said he fell into depression and alcohol abuse following his electoral defeat. The depression culminated in the 2020 hotel room incident, after which he decided to check into a rehabilitation facility for help.
Gillum once served as the mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 to 2018 and as a Tallahassee city commissioner from 2003 to 2014. He has not been in the political realm since then, though he did join CNN as a political commentator in 2019.