Florida’s 2022 elections are already shaping up. Here’s who is (and may be) running
Within minutes of TV networks and media outlets calling the 2020 presidential election Saturday for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, a group of Democratic consultants in South Florida released an online video taking aim at a new target not named Donald Trump: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
The “Retire Rubio” ad — released by a new anti-Rubio Super PAC formed on Election Day — was the opening salvo in Florida’s 2022 elections. Two years from now, Rubio and Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will both likely be on the ballot, along with Republican incumbents for the statewide positions of attorney general and chief financial officer.
And already, a new crop of Democrats are pondering runs for statewide office — despite a challenging climate.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida, is known to be mulling a run for governor against DeSantis, as are Orlando-area state Rep. Anna Eskamani and Florida Sen. Jason Pizzo, of North Miami Beach.
And for Rubio’s seat, the names of three Democratic members of Congress are often tossed out as possible challengers: Boca Raton’s Ted Deutch, and Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy, both of whom represent districts in Central Florida.
Exactly who will run remains to be seen, and wildcards like state Sen. Lauren Book, of Plantation, or Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber could emerge. Former Panhandle congresswoman Gwen Graham, who ran for governor in 2018, has also been mentioned by politicos as a potential candidate.
None of those Democrats has committed publicly to a statewide campaign. Nor have Rubio or DeSantis yet filed papers for reelection.
“I’m honored to have been reelected by my constituents to represent them in Washington,” Deutch said in a statement, “and I’m ready to work with the new Biden administration on addressing the pandemic, combating climate change and preventing gun violence. Right now, that’s my primary mission.”
Rubio on Monday signaled that he’s ready for the coming challenge, with a pointed reference on Facebook to the results of the Nov. 3 election, when Florida Democrats suffered losses up and down the ballot. And he alluded to the ad released by the Retire Him Super PAC, which used Trump’s “Little Marco” snipe during the Republican presidential primary to mock the senator from Miami.
“Not even a week has gone by since our election and Florida’s HUGE red wave, and Democrats have already placed me under attack,” a post on Rubio’s official Facebook page said. “There’s a reason my only two enemies are Communist China and the Radical Left. It’s because I’m not afraid to speak out against them and their radical schemes to ruin our country. I’m ready for this fight and I welcome it.”
Rubio won his reelection in 2016 by 7.7 percentage points.
Now, after President Trump beat Biden in Florida by 3.4 percentage points, any Democrat running statewide is likely looking at a less favorable atmosphere than in 2016, when Trump won Florida by 1.2 percentage points, or in 2018, the most recent election featuring races for governor and U.S. Senate. That year, when Democrats won races across the country and took back the U.S. House of Representatives, three statewide races in Florida, including Fried’s campaign for agriculture commissioner, went to an automatic recount due to winning margins below 0.5%.
In a statement, Chip Harris, a representative for Murphy, the Orlando-area congresswoman, alluded to the turmoil that has gripped the Florida Democratic Party since last week, when it suffered losses in legislative races and watched Trump expand his margins.
“Congresswoman Murphy is focused on serving the people of Florida’s Seventh Congressional District, but as an immigrant and refugee who fled communism, she is deeply concerned about the future of the Democratic Party in Florida and plans to spend the next few months helping the party build a winning statewide strategy for the future,” Harris said.
John Morgan, an attorney and prominent Biden booster in Florida who considered running for governor in 2018, told the Miami Herald that he has ruled out a bid in 2022 following successful efforts to create a medical marijuana marketplace and to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour through constitutional amendments.
He also stated the obvious after Trump’s clear victory in the state: “We now know Florida just got tougher.”
But even as Democrats ponder upheaval in the state party, with an election for chairperson coming this winter, there are candidates on the left considering runs for Senate and governor. Eskamani, who has been recruited to run, said she’s found grassroots support “incredibly humbling.”
“I never thought I’d run for office in the first place let alone statewide. We’re looking at all our options. We want to be thoughtful about it,” she said.
Pizzo, the state senator from North Miami Beach, said his focus remains on his constituents, passing legislation and “rebuilding the Democratic Party” in Florida.
“I’ve seen a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of changes people want made, a lot of calling-out culture going on,” said Pizzo, “but no definitive plan on the rebuild and reconstruction yet.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of State Rep. Anna Eskamani’s name.
