What Happened to Andrew Demetric Gillum?

Andrew Demetric Gillum, born July 26, 1979, began his political career at a young age, becoming the youngest person elected to the Tallahassee City Commission in 2003 at 23. He served as a city commissioner until 2014, when he was elected Mayor of Tallahassee, a position he held until 2018.

Gillum gained national prominence as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election. Running on a progressive platform, he secured an upset victory in the primary. The general election against Republican Ron DeSantis was exceptionally close, with Gillum narrowly losing by approximately 34,000 votes, or 0.4% of the total, making it one of the closest gubernatorial races in modern American history.

His post-election period was marked by personal and legal challenges. In March 2020, Gillum was involved in a highly publicized incident at a Miami Beach hotel where police found him in an inebriated state with a male escort and suspected methamphetamine packets in the room. No arrests were made, and Gillum subsequently announced he would enter rehabilitation for alcohol abuse and depression, denying methamphetamine use.

In June 2022, Gillum was indicted by a federal grand jury on 21 felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and making false statements to the FBI. Prosecutors alleged that Gillum and his advisor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, conspired to divert campaign funds for personal use between 2016 and 2019. Gillum maintained his innocence, calling the indictment politically motivated.

The federal trial took place in April 2023. On May 4, 2023, a federal jury acquitted Gillum of lying to the FBI, but they were unable to reach a verdict on the remaining 18 counts of conspiracy and wire fraud, leading U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor to declare a mistrial on those charges. Less than two weeks later, in May 2023, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the remaining charges against Gillum and Lettman-Hicks, which the judge approved.

Most recently, in July 2026, Andrew Gillum was arrested in Daphne, Alabama, on drug-related charges. He was taken into custody on Thursday, July 2, 2026, and booked into Baldwin County jail on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana. He was released the following day after posting a combined bond of $6,500. The dangerous drugs charge is a felony and could carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, in addition to fines, if he is found guilty. This latest arrest continues a tumultuous period for the former political figure.