Astonishing downfall of Obama-backed Democratic golden boy as he's arrested on disturbing charges

By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Published: 17:24, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 17:27, 7 July 2026 A Democratic golden boy who came within 32,000 votes of denying Ron DeSantis the Florida governorship has been arrested in Alabama after police say they found methamphetamine, marijuana and a bong in his car. Andrew Gillum, 46, was pulled over for driving erratically on US Highway 98 in Daphne around 10.45pm on July 2, the Daphne Police Department said. An officer spotted a glass pipe on the center console, giving police probable cause to search the vehicle, according to the department. Officers found three grams of methamphetamine, eight pre-rolled marijuana joints, four cut straws, three pipes and a bong, according to an incident report obtained by TMZ. Gillum was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and second-degree possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. He was booked into the Daphne City Jail before being transferred to the Baldwin County Correctional Facility. He has since been released, jail records show. Gillum has not commented on the arrest. Gillum was once among the hottest properties in Democratic politics as Tallahassee's mayor, winning Barack Obama's endorsement in a 2018 governor's race he lost to DeSantis by less than half a percentage point. Andrew Gillum, 46, was pulled over for driving erratically on US Highway 98 in Daphne around 10.45pm on July 2, the Daphne Police Department said Black activist Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Barack Obama and Andrew Gillum during his 2018 race against Ron DeSantis  Andrew Gillum, Tiffany D. Cross and Angela Rye attend the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards presented by The Hartford Live at SXSW at Fairmont Palm Park, Fairmont Hotel on March 11, 2024 in Austin, Texas But his unraveling began in March 2020, when Miami Beach police found him inebriated in a room at the Mondrian South Beach hotel with two other men, one of whom was feared to be suffering an overdose. Officers reported finding three small bags of suspected crystal meth in the room. Nobody was charged because the drugs could not be tied directly to any of the men. Gillum said at the time he had been drinking at a wedding the night before and denied ever using methamphetamine. He checked into rehab days later and came out as bisexual in a television interview alongside his wife R. Jai, with whom he shares three children. Gillum returned to headlines in 2023 when a federal jury acquitted him of lying to the FBI in a corruption case centered on the alleged misuse of campaign funds. He made a public comeback in 2024 when iHeartMedia announced he would join Native Land Pod alongside former CNN host Angela Rye and former MSNBC host Tiffany Cross. He currently serves as host and producer on the liberal, progressive show alongside Rye and CNN commentator Bakari Sellers. He appeared on an episode as recently as last week. He has yet to enter a plea to the Alabama charges.