Andrew Gillum, Florida’s gubernatorial candidate who was defeated by Ron DeSantis in the 2018 governor’s race by a narrow margin, was charged with 21 counts of wire and campaign fraud on Wednesday, AP reported. 

However, Gillum claimed to be innocent in a written statement. 

“I have spent the last 20 years of my life in public service and continue to fight for the people,” he said. 

“Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity. Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political. Throughout my career I have always stood up for the people of Florida and have spoken truth to power. There’s been a target on my back ever since I was the mayor of Tallahassee. They found nothing then, and I have full confidence that my legal team will prove my innocence now,” he added.

Who is Andrew Gillum?

Andrew Demetric Gillum is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party who served as the city commissioner of Tallahassee between 2003 and 2014.

He was born on July 26, 1979, to Charles and Frances Gillum. Gillum attended Gainesville High School. After graduating in 1998, he studied political science at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). 

At the age of 23, Gillum was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission before he completed his course at FAMU.

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He was also a member of the Black Youth Vote Coalition, an empowerment program by the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation located in Washington D.C.

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Soon after winning the primary election of the Democratic party by defeating five candidates, including former Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine and former U.S. representative Gwen Graham, Gillum was nominated to be the governor of Florida in 2018. However, he lost to Republican party’s Ron DeSantis by a close margin. 

On the familial front, the 42-year-old is married to Rashada Jai Howard, a FAMU alumnus. They have three children.