• Former state Senator Annette Taddeo received nine endorsements from Florida Senators on Thursday. 
• Those endorsing Taddeo include Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, Tina Polsky, and Lori Berman. 
• Taddeo currently faces two opponents, political consultant Alex Berrios and Broward Democratic Party Chair Rick Hoye, in the Chair race. 

Former Florida Senator Annette Taddeo has received a significant boost in her campaign for the Florida Democratic Party Chair election, with endorsements from several prominent state senators.

Senators Lauren Book, Jason Pizzo, Lori Berman, Tracie Davis, Tina Polsky, Darryl Rouson, Linda Stewart, Geraldine Thompson, and Victor Torres have all thrown their support behind Taddeo, citing her experience and leadership skills as key factors in their decision.

“Having worked alongside Annette, I can confidently say she is the best person for the job and I look forward to working alongside her to help rebuild what has been lost so that Democrats can effectively defend the rights and freedoms of Floridians all across our state,” said Book.

Taddeo faces two opponents, political consultant Alex Berrios and Broward Democratic Party Chair Rick Hoye, in the party’s Chair race. A fourth candidate, Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow dropped out of the race on Wednesday, citing pressing matters in Leon County.

“I am humbled to have the support of the Florida Senate Democrats right out of the gate,” responded Taddeo. “They know I will never back away from a fight, and together we will work to create a fully functional FDP that can better support our Democratic legislators in Tallahassee to push back against the GOP’s divisive legislative agenda.”

Taddeo also received an endorsement from State Rep. Anna Eskamani on Wednesday.

The Florida Democratic Party is currently in the process of rebuilding and regrouping following the 2022 midterm elections.

The midterms were a harsh blow for the Florida Democratic Party, as it suffered from low voter turnout and was unable to make significant gains in statewide or federal races.

While voter engagement was high among grassroots activists, the party was unable to mobilize voters in the same numbers as Republicans, leading to a lower voter turnout overall.

This was particularly evident in traditionally-blue counties like Miami-Dade County, which flipped red for the first time ever.

Adding to their woes, the Florida GOP was able to attain a supermajority in the legislature and took the lead in voter registration advantage within Florida for the first time ever.

This gives the Republicans a significant edge in the state, as they now have the ability to pass laws without any opposition or input from the Democrats.

Moving forward, Democrats statewide look to the forthcoming Chairperson to have a long-term plan to turn the party’s woes around.

“This is more than just a consummation process. We’re in trouble at the state. The first thing whoever takes on this role, we are going to have to make sure they have a plan. I’m talking about an all-out long-term game plan on how to rebuild Florida,” Sen. Shevrin Jones told The Capitolist, who was one of three Democrat Senators to not endorse Taddeo.