Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo is set to formally announce her candidacy for the 2022 Governor's race Monday during a news conference in Tallahassee.
Taddeo joins a Democratic Primary field which already includes U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Governor, and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. Taddeo would be the 10th Democrat to file paperwork in the Democratic Primary, as Democrats attempt to oust first-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Taddeo is holding a news conference at 9:15 a.m. outside the R.A. Gray Building, which is home to the Department of State, where she's expected to make her run official.
Late last week, Taddeo forecasted a potential announcement when her political committee, Fight Back Florida, hired a new, all-female leadership team. That included bringing on Jackie Lee as a senior advisor, Allison Clark as a senior campaign coordinator, and Millie Raphael and Stephanie Bromfield as senior coalitions advisors.
"This group of talented professionals are laying the ground work to build strong coalitions across Florida that reflect the new generation of leadership that can ensure our state continues to be one of the leading battlegrounds in the nation," Clark said in a Friday release announcing the moves.
"The coming days and weeks will show why we've come together at this pivotal moment."
In May, Taddeo confirmed she was weighing a possible run for Governor. In the months since, Taddeo has increasingly directed criticism toward Gov. DeSantis and ramped up her fundraising operation. Her PC also brought on additional staff in early October.
Taddeo served as the Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate in 2014. That year, Crist was the Democratic nominee for Governor. The Democrats lost by one point to former Gov. Rick Scott. Taddeo's announcement will now pit her against her former running mate.
Taddeo also mounted a 2016 run for Congress. She was pursuing a General Election matchup with then-GOP U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, but Taddeo narrowly lost in the Democratic primary to Joe Garcia.
She has served in the Senate since winning a 2017 Special Election for the Senate District 40 seat. In 2018, she earned reelection to her first full term.
On the Democratic side, David Freeman, Ivan Graham, Jonathan Karns, Amaro Lionheart, Alexander Lundmark, Timothy Mosley and Robert Willis are also pursuing the gubernatorial nomination.
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