Florida Senator Annette Taddeo (pictured above) of District 40 is eyeing a run for Governor in 2022 against her former running mate Charlie Crist for the Democratic nomination.
Taddeo’s announcement came Wednesday after initial speculation of her run circulated on Twitter the day before. She stated her plan to run is in response to Florida Congresswoman Val Demings’ decision to run against Marco Rubio in 2022 for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
In her statement she said, “With Congresswoman Val Demings pivoting to a likely U.S. Senate campaign, I will continue meeting with supporters across the state to assess the best path for me to do the most good for the people of Florida.”
In the Florida legislative session that recently came to a close, Taddeo supported bills involving gun reform, unemployment benefits, and other controversial issues, but were all voted down by the Republican led Florida Senate.
Regarding gun reform, Taddeo supported SB 370 that prohibited the possession, sale, or transfer of assault weapons or large-capacity magazines in Florida, as well as SB 672 that was an attempt to repeal the Legislation regarding local jurisdictions from issuing their own gun regulatory policies.
SB 644, the unemployment bill supported by Taddeo, aimed to increase the weekly amount of unemployment benefits as well as extend the duration in which unemployment assistance is available for unemployed individuals receiving assistance.
And lastly, amid racial tension in the United States, Taddeo supported SB 646 that would have required “counties and municipalities to rename their respective portions of Dixie Highway, Old Dixie Highway, North Dixie Highway, or South Dixie Highway as ‘Harriet Tubman Highway.'”
A poll by SEA Polling was released shortly after Taddeo made her announcement which showed Taddeo having 13% support from Democratic voters behind Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried at 26%, and Charlie Crist at 28%.
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Casey Owens is a writer at The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Annette Taddeo” by Annette Taddeo.
