Gillum withdraws from politics after link to suspected drug overdose
TALLAHASSEE — Andrew Gillum said he would withdraw from public life, closing a chapter in his career that took him from the peak of Florida power to a Miami Beach hotel room where he was found inebriated with a man suspected of overdosing on crystal meth.
“This has been a wake-up call for me,” the former Tallahassee mayor said in a written statement Sunday. “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 will be stepping down from all public facing roles for the foreseeable future,” he wrote.
Gillum said he would enter a rehabilitation facility. He apologized and asked for privacy.
The one-time gubernatorial candidate will give up the reins of Forward Florida, a political committee he founded to register and motivate voters to defeat President Donald Trump in the battleground state.
https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2020/03/15/gillum-withdraws-from-politics-after-link-to-suspected-drug-overdose-1267145
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