TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Democrat from Miami, is throwing her hat in the ring for Florida's governor.
She joins the list of big-name Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who hope to unseat Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The state senator filed campaign documents Monday with Florida's Division of Elections, the Miami Herald reports.
Taddeo, 54, in a campaign video, said she got her "fighting spirit" from her dad, who battled the Nazis as an American fighter pilot during World War II. But it all began when she was born with a cleft lip, she said.
"I was bullied, made fun of and told that I would never be normal," Taddeo said. "After enduring 19 surgeries just so I could smile, I learned early on how much it means to access to affordable health care."
Taddeo was first elected to the Senate in 2017. She served as Crist's running mate in 2014 when the pair came up just short of stopping now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott from winning a second term as Florida's governor. Taddeo's announcement will have her running against her former running mate.
According to Florida Politics, Taddeo confirmed in May that she was considering a run for governor and has since been an increasingly outspoken critic of DeSantis.
She has also reportedly ramped up fundraising efforts after hiring a new, all-female leadership team for her political committee, Fight Back Florida.
If elected, Taddeo would be Florida's first Latina governor.
Current Lt. Gov. Jeanette M. Nuñez, of Miami, made history in 2018 as the state's first Hispanic woman to become lieutenant governor.
Tampa native Bob Martinez was the first person of Spanish descent elected to the governor's office.
Taddeo and her family moved from Colombia to Miami when she was 17 years old in hopes to build a better life, according to her online biography. She started her own translation business which would go on to be named one of the Top 100 Small Businesses in Florida, her website adds.
Taddeo has a husband and a 12-year-old daughter named Sofia.
