Democratic Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo jumps into 2022 governor's race

Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Another Democrat on Monday jumped into the race to become Florida's governor next year and hoping to unseat Republican Ron DeSantis.

State Sen. Annette Taddeo announced her campaign in a video posted online. She is the third high-profile Democrat to join the race, after U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

Taddeo, 54, said in her announcement that she's entering the race because voters have told her they want a "fighter" and a "leader" in the statehouse. She also said she will focus on Medicaid expansion in Florida and climate change.

Taddeo is the only non-white candidate running for governor in a state with a 27% Hispanic population. She would be the first Latin candidate to be governor of Florida.

Taddeo has been in the Florida Senate since 2016 and is a mother of a 15-year-old daughter and two stepdaughters.

In her announcement, she criticized DeSantis and showed video clips of him criticizing mandatory face mask requirements.

"I believe we can inspire Floridians to raise their sights and elect a governor to represent all Floridians," she says.

"We need a governor who will actually govern," she told The Miami Herald. "We clearly have someone that is more concerned about being president than he is about running Florida, more worried about Republican primary voters in Iowa than he is about families here in Florida."

DeSantis has officially filed to run for re-election, but he's been mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for president in 2024.