Andrew Gillum Shocked Florida With a Primary Win. But an F.B.I. Inquiry Clouds His Campaign
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Three men with grand redevelopment plans descended on Tallahassee sometime in 2015, eager to schedule work meetings and social gatherings with the most well-connected denizens of City Hall who could help their projects become reality.
One lobbyist in particular drew their attention: Adam Corey, a businessman whose friendship with the mayor dated back to their college days, when both served in student government. Through Mr. Corey, the out-of-town businessmen would eventually get so cozy with local leaders that they partied with a city commissioner in Las Vegas and toured New York Harbor with the Tallahassee mayor.
The businessmen, however, were really undercover F.B.I. agents engaged in a two-year operation to root out corruption in city government. The mayor was Andrew Gillum, a rising star in Democratic politics with his sights set on higher office.
On Tuesday, Mr. Gillum shocked the state’s political establishment and won the Democratic nomination for Florida governor. Now, the federal investigation into the goings-on in Florida’s sleepy capital city has been thrust unexpectedly into the national political spotlight, with questions about how it will affect the most closely watched governor’s race in the country.
“I don’t think anybody expected Mayor Gillum to be the nominee, but now he is, and all of this stuff is going to come under really close scrutiny,” said Ben Wilcox, research director for Integrity Florida, a watchdog group. “And it’s not going to look good for our city.
Mr. Gillum said he had been told he is not a target in the investigation. The issue received little notice outside of Tallahassee during the primary campaign because Mr. Gillum largely trailed in polls and did not draw attacks from his Democratic opponents. In the few days since securing the nomination, however, Republicans have already made the lingering corruption questions a central issue.
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