Will he run again? Is this the start of his comeback? These are questions that will be answered in due time. Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum lost a nail-biter race to Gov. Ron DeSantis. It was a punch to the gut to Democrats in the state that pretty much forced them to reconsider if the state was indeed trending blue. The political environment for Democrats during the 2018 elections was excellent and they couldn’t take back the governor’s mansion? Furthermore, term-limited GOP Governor Rick Scott ran for Senate and beat incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson.
Time passes and then we hear that Gillum was found insanely drunk in a hotel room last March. Gay escorts were reportedly in the room, along with bags suspected of containing crystal meth. It was a mess. So, what do you do when this happens in politics? You go to rehab.
If what the report says is true, Andrew Gillum has come out as Florida Man. https://t.co/B0zVF9pknu
— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) March 13, 2020
Andrew Gillum is getting treatment for alcohol addiction. pic.twitter.com/2DGk3mDh9V
— Jonathan Easley (@JonEasley) March 15, 2020
In July, he said that he underestimated how losing to DeSantis would impact his life (via Miami Herald):
Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum made his first public remarks on Monday since entering rehab in March, saying he battled depression and alcohol addiction after losing the 2018 race to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In an 11-minute Instagram video, Gillum apologized to supporters for his actions and said he suffered from depression for years.
“I totally underestimated the impact that losing the race for governor had on my life,” Gillum said. “I didn’t want to talk emotionally or really deeply about what happened in the race for governor because it was a constant reminder of failure and my own personal failures. It was a reminder that I let so many people down. All the things I wanted to suppress and numb and forget about, that depression around what I was experiencing there became far too much for me to keep down.”
And now, he’s come out as bisexual.
Words never shared publicly until this moment #TamronHallShow “I identify as bisexual”. - @AndrewGillum
— Tamron Hall (@tamronhall) September 14, 2020
“So many people just don’t understand bisexuality. Bisexuality is just something different. I just believe that love and sexuality exist on a spectrum. All I care about is what’s between us and what agreement we make.”
— Zach Stafford (@ZachStafford) September 14, 2020
— R. Jai Gillum, Andrew Gillum’s wife, told @tamronhall.
On the season 2 premiere of the 'Tamron Hall Show', Andrew Gillum and his wife addressed the controversy of when he was found unresponsive in a hotel room and entered rehab 6 months ago.
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) September 14, 2020
We applaud @AndrewGillum for living his truth out loud. https://t.co/TMXvPkc3yM
Former Florida governor candidate Andrew Gillum tells Tamron Hall he's bisexual: "That is something I have never shared publicly before" pic.twitter.com/prUW7NPk1C
— The Recount (@therecount) September 14, 2020
So, that explains the male companion, I guess. I don’t really care what Mr. Gillum does on his own time, but since I’m cynical as hell—you don’t do what he’s done unless he wants to run again, right? You need to go through the motions—and he’s done that. He’s cleaned himself up. And now he’s positioning himself for a comeback. Time will tell, but I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if he runs again.
