Governor Ron DeSantis is facing a challenge from three prominent Democrats that are vying to unseat him this election cycle. Though state Senator Annette Taddeo (D) entered the race late after months of speculation, Taddeo is quickly amounting support, which has translated to endorsements from across the aisle as well.
Former Florida Rep. and former Pinecrest Mayor Juan-Carlos “J.C.” Planas (D), now a former Republican as well, announced this week that he would not be voting to reelect Governor DeSantis. Instead, his support is going to Taddeo.
Based on the failure of Republicans in Florida today to reject Trump’s baseless claims of fraud and in many cases, falsely make similar allegations in an attempt to steal this election, I have now registered as a member of the Democratic Party of Florida. @stevesimeonidis
— Juan-Carlos Planas (@jcp717) November 10, 2020
Planas, in November of last year, showed disappointment in the Republican party and announced that he was registering as a Democrat. He is a "NeverTrumper."
Joining state Senator Victor Torress (D) and former Florida Rep. Cindy Lerner (D), the bipartisan group of lawmakers shared that Taddeo is the best fit to lead Florida in the right direction.
In 2014, when former Governor of Florida Charlie Crist (D) ran to unseat Governor Rick Scott (R), Taddeo was Crist’s runningmate. Now, both lawmakers are on opposing sides as they both challenge for the Democratic nomination.
When Taddeo announced her candidacy on October 18, she expressed that she intended to “inspire Floridians to raise their sights and elect a Governor to represent all Floridians,” noting that she has “tremendous respect for Charlie,” but ultimately “this race isn’t about Charlie or about me.”
She concluded that the gubernatorial race “is about the future of Floridians and who is going to be the best person to create the coalition.” Moreover, she noted that it is about who will create “excitement from the ground up for us to win in Florida.”
