The race between Democrats to take on Ron DeSantis in the general election is down to two.
State Sen. Annette Taddeo first announced her decision to drop out of the governor’s race and switch to Florida’s 27th Congressional District race in an interview with WFOR’s Jim DeFede, who tweeted that Taddeo called Rep. Maria Salazar, who she is challenging for her seat, is “a demagogue, a liar and an embarrassment, and someone that has not even voted in the best interests of our community.”
Rumors of Taddeo leaving the governor’s race had been swirling for weeks, after Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins left the District 27 race almost as quickly as she jumped into it because she did not want to face Taddeo in a primary. Taddeo denied at that time that she was leaving the governor’s race.
She now says that recent mass shootings across the country prompted her to reevaluate her political priorities, but the reality is that Taddeo has struggled to compete in fundraising, amassing less than $925,000 between her campaign account and political committee through April 30 compared to more than $9.2 million for Crist and $4.3 million for Fried.
Taddeo, who’s also been polling in the single digits in the gubernatorial race, now faces Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell and little known Angel Montalvo in the August primary. The winner will challenge Republican incumbent Salazar.
“I am singularly focused on unseating [Salazar], who has been ineffective for her voters,” Russell tweeted Monday after Taddeo’s announcement. “Having been elected twice in this district (as a member of the city commission) delivering on affordable housing and the environment, I am the best candidate to beat the country’s most vulnerable GOP freshman.”
In the 2020 presidential election, 49.76% of the voters in the redrawn district went for former Republican President Donald Trump. Democratic President Joe Biden received 49.49% of the vote.
Taddeo, who was Crist’s running mate in 2014 when he last ran for governor, has not declared who she will support now.
Fried’s campaign put out a statement shortly after the news about Taddeo became public.
(Marjorie Vital Herne)
State Sen. Annette Taddeo, Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried and Congressman Charlie Crist during a lighter moment at a May 28, 2022, gubernatorial forum in North Miami Beach.
“The choice for Democrats couldn’t be any starker – this race is now only between a proven statewide Democratic winner and a three-time statewide loser and self-described ‘pro-life’ former Republican,” Fried campaign spokeswoman Caroline Korba wrote. “We wish Senator Taddeo well and expect a new South Florida Democratic Congress member and an ally of the Fried Administration in 2023.”
In a statement describing Taddeo as “a dear friend and a force to be reckoned with,” Crist said he hopes to see his former opponent succeed.
“She is a tireless public servant and fearless advocate for working Floridians across the Sunshine State and in South Florida,” he said. “I thank her for her leadership, civility and fighting spirit in Tallahassee and in this Governor’s race. And I wish her nothing but the best as she embarks on her run for Congress.”
Taddeo dropped out of the governor’s race barely a week after participating in a gubernatorial forum in North Miami Beach hosted by the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee and attended by a numerous Black elected officials.