Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has announced he will be entering rehab following reports of him being found intoxicated in a hotel room with a known male escort.

Referring to an incident where he was drunk in a hotel room with a man who'd overdosed on what has been reported as crystal meth as a "wake-up call," Gillum said he's going to seek help.

In Gillum's written statement, he publicly admits to being depressed, which led to his addiction to alcohol after losing a very close race against Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2018 election.

As Blavity previously reported, Gillum was allegedly found in an inebriated state with 30-year-old Travis Dyson at the Mondrian Hotel in Miami’s South Beach. Dyson was believed to have overdosed on crystal meth. The other man in the hotel with Gillum was Aldo Mejias, 56, who managed to call the police just in time after Dyson collapsed twice in the hotel room and began vomiting on the bed.

In a Friday statement, Gillum clarified he did not use meth and was only helping Dyson, who he said is a friend. Gillum has consistently stated that he had "too much to drink" and that he "never used methamphetamines,” The New York Times reported.                        

The latest statement, however, seemingly suggests that there was something more than alcoholism at play. Apologizing to his family, friends and supporters, Gillum acknowledged that his addiction could be "a symptom of deeper struggles."

After the race, the former mayor of Tallahassee became a CNN commentator. He is also a prominent leader in voting rights, creating an organization called Forward Florida. Gillum believes his noteworthy loss in the Florida gubernatorial race — losing to DeSantis by about 32,000 votes — was due to restrictive voting rights laws, according to The Times.

Gillum was also seen as a possible running mate for the Democratic presidential nominee. During the gubernatorial race, he was praised by and received endorsements from an array of different politicians and stars alike, including former President Barack Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rihanna and Diddy.

andrew gillumFlorida-Voting-LawsRon DeSantis