Florida's first Latina governor? This Democratic lawmaker considers bid

MIAMI — It was around the time that Florida Democrats suffered blistering defeats in Miami-Dade in the 2020 election — losing two key Congressional seats and several state legislative races — that Sen. Annette Taddeo began mulling a run for governor. But she’s not quite ready to jump in, she says, despite the fact she doesn’t “think it’s a secret” her name comes up as a potential top contender in 2022.

“If I were to become the nominee, clearly we have a lot of opportunity to have a lot of excitement, and with Val Demings also running [for U.S. Senate]…. I believe that’s what it’s going to take,” said Taddeo, a Colombian-American business owner who represents Florida Senate District 40, which includes parts of west Kendall, Richmond Heights and The Hammocks in Miami-Dade.

But the “excitement” of running a statewide race as a Latina Democrat hadn’t yet set in for her until she said she was asked to jump in by members of labor unions and other grassroots organizations underwhelmed by the current field of Democratic candidates vying to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not yet announced his reelection bid but whose political committee had $48 million on hand as of last month. (“Please save us,” she said one of the text messages read.)

Though Taddeo hasn’t announced an official run, she confirmed to the Herald on Tuesday she’s seriously considering jumping into the race sometime later this fall. She has discussed a probable gubernatorial bid for months with Democrats in the Florida Legislature, Miami-Dade County and Washington. This month, for example, she met with Hispanic leaders in Central Florida as she explores her own candidacy beyond the Miami-Dade bubble. Several elected officials, including Orlando state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, were present.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/09/01/floridas-first-latina-governor-this-democratic-lawmaker-considers-bid/