About two weeks ago, former U.S. House of Representatives candidate and former State Senator Annette Taddeo (D-FL) announced that she is running to lead the Florida Democratic Party (FDP). Since her announcement, Taddeo has received a flurry of endorsements from Florida politicians all around the state, from new bloods and veterans alike.nouncement, which was originally posted on TikTok was then put on Twitter as well.
I’m in — I’m running for FDP Chair pic.twitter.com/KO3UrrYvs6
— Annette Taddeo (She/Her/Ella) (@Annette_Taddeo) January 19, 2023
“After the 2022 midterms, I received many calls asking me to run for chair of the Florida Democratic Party. I have been having conversations all across the state after much reflection. I’m ready. I’m ready to take up this challenge and do the hard work. I’m running for FTP chair,” said Taddeo.
As The Floridian’s Publisher, Javier Manjarres mentioned in one of daily editions of “The JUICE,” Taddeo has a daunting task in front of her. With Republicans crushing the Democrats in the past election cycle, with both Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) winning by nearly 20 points in their respective elections, some would say that the Democratic Party is bound to do some introspection and make some sort of change.
Introspection and change. Taddeo seems to be familiar with that sentiment.
In 2021 when Annette Taddeo was a gubernatorial candidate in the state of Florida, she famously told The Floridian that “I’m so glad I’m in this race because both parties suck. We need to get it together.”
The Florida Democratic Party indeed has a lot of work to do especially in areas like Miami-Dade County which went red in 2022 but has been historically blue.
Manjarres put it best in The JUICE: “It will be a very heavy lift for Taddeo to get her political party back on track, but there is some hope from some Democrats that she will be able to right the ship sooner than everyone expects.”
Taddeo has earned the endorsements of important figures such as Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and State Senator Shevrin Jones (D-FL).
State Sen. Jones spoke about Taddeo and her running for the position, stating, “Democrats in Florida need to build people power yesterday, and we cannot do that without a leader, there’s no time for delay. When I needed help in my campaign with the Hispanic vote in my district, I didn’t have to pick up the phone to ask Annette, she picked up the phone and just rolled up her sleeves to help.”
Democrats in Florida will vote for their new chair in a few weeks later this month, according to the Florida Phoenix.
