- Sen. Annette Taddeo, candidate for Florida’s Congressional District 27, received endorsement from the National Education Association on Wednesday
- Taddeo holds a commanding lead over primary opponent Ken Russell, topping the Miami Commissioner by 36 points in the latest poll
- Congressional District 27’s general election is anticipated to be one of the most competitive in the state
- Taddeo trails the incumbent Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar by two points in a general election poll but is still seen as within striking distance
Annette Taddeo’s congressional campaign on Wednesday announced an endorsement from the National Education Association. The move comes just days after Taddeo received endorsement from over fifty state legislators including Sen. Shevrin Jones and Rep. Andrew Learned.
Taddeo is running for a House seat in Florida Congressional District 27 in an attempt to unseat the incumbent Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. The state Senator appears poised to easily win her primary challenge against Miami Commissioner Ken Russell. In a recent poll conducted by Sarasota-based SEA Polling Strategic Design, Taddeo holds a 36-point primary lead.
The baseline test shows that Taddeo is able to parlay her 64 percent name awareness advantage over Russell’s 42 percent into a comfortable lead. The Taddeo campaign utilized a similar polling metric as the Nikki Fried gubernatorial campaign in conducting a secondary poll that provides respondents with a positive informational reading on candidates. In this format. Taddeo added an additional 40 percent to her lead.
“As a mother with a daughter in public school I am very passionate about ensuring that all kids have access to a quality education. Both in office and in the PTA, I’ve been a champion for our teachers and support personnel,” said Taddeo. “In the Senate, I’ve fought to expand early childhood education and have always worked to secure the resources for our public schools. In Congress, I’ll keep that fight up. I won’t rest until every child regardless of their zip code can access a top tier education.”
Taddeo in recent months has taken steps to construct a semblance of an educational platform, most notably placing focus on Florida’s teacher shortage. While running for governor, Taddeo stated that if elected she would directly address the education workforce vacancy, claiming that Gov. Ron DeSantis has failed to do so.
“Since being elected to the State Senate, Annette has been a champion for Florida’s teachers,” said Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar. “Annette knows how important it is to ensure our teachers have the resources and support they need to educate all our children. We’re proud to endorse Annette’s campaign for Congress because we know she will always show up for our teachers and students and prioritize a first-class public education everyone deserves.”
Taddeo in early June terminated her gubernatorial campaign, opting to run in what is widely considered one of Florida’s most tightly contested elections. Republicans now have a slight advantage in the district thanks to the new congressional maps supported by DeSantis, but it is still one of the most evenly divided in the state.
An internal poll overseen by Taddeo’s campaign shows Taddeo in a “virtual tie” with Salazar. Carried out in May, the poll has Salazar leading Taddeo by just two points in a head-to-head matchup, 47-45, which falls within the five-point margin of error cited within the report.
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