State Senator Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, dropped out of the Florida governor’s race today after polling far behind Democratic frontrunners Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried.
Taddeo announced that she would instead be running against Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fl. in Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
The abortive gubernatorial candidate claimed that she was dropping out of the race because of the recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
“We are at a critical point in our country,” Taddeo told CBS News Miami. “And frankly, I am not going to stand on the sidelines and not go in there and fight, especially after what we saw in Buffalo and Uvalde.” She said in an interview with CBS News Miami.
A polling average of the Democratic Governor primaries from RealClearPolitics shows that from February to May, she averaged four percent in three surveys.
Taddeo did not mince words about her new opponent during her interview, saying that Salazar is “AÂ demagogue, a liar and an embarrassment and someone that has not even voted in the best interests of our community.”
The State Senator will still face stiff opposition in Florida’s 27th, where she will run in the Democratic primaries against Miami Commissioner Ken Russell. Salazar currently leads Russell by a slim margin of 2 percent, according to a public opinion poll conducted by The Kitchens Group.
FEC filings from April indicate that Taddeo has $733,382 cash on hand. She may struggle to fundraise with a smaller base of donors and with Russell, with about $300,000 cash on hand already established in the district. Salazar currently has $1.6 million on hand.
Taddeo’s exit from the Governor’s race clears the field for Democrats, who now only have two major candidates facing off against each other.
Still, beating DeSantis will be no easy feat.
Recent polling indicates that DeSantis has a net approval rating as high as +22%, with 59% approving of his performance as Governor and 37% disapproving.
DeSantis currently holds a 9% lead over Charlie Crist, who is the top contender for the Democratic nomination.
DeSantis also dwarfs Crist’s fundraising numbers, with a whopping $91.2 million cash on hand compared to Crist’s $5.3 million.
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The lamentations of the Three Amigos, Crist, Fried, and Taddeo
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