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After a shock 2018 take that made her a number one Democratic screech in Florida and a pandemic spent as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief antagonist, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced Tuesday she’s going to are trying to united states the governor in 2022.
As a younger, female elected legit who has made official-marijuana policies central to her political impress, Fried isn’t very the long-established contender for statewide place of residing of work in Florida, and he or she’s leaning into that by pitching her seemingly campaign as “one thing contemporary.”
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) June 1, 2021
“I’m unafraid. I’m tested. I’m ready,” Fried acknowledged, talking straight into the digital camera in a two-minute video launching her campaign. “And I do know you could additionally be ready for one thing contemporary, too.”
Without pointing out DeSantis, Fried acknowledged that she turned into read to “ruin the rigged gadget in Florida,” which she acknowledged turned into “anti-democratic,”
Fried, 43, is the 2d Democrat to delivery a campaign for governor after U.S. Win. Charlie Crist announced his campaign last month.
Fried narrowly obtained the agriculture commissioner job in 2018 and is largely the most productive statewide elected Democrat.
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The contemporary Florida commissioner of agriculture and client companies and products is now the very best-rating Democrat within the deliver. But who’s Nikki Fried?
Fried a arresting critic of DeSantis
A Florida medical marijuana card-holder who uses medical hashish to contend with a snooze disadvantage, Fried is seemingly to emphasise marijuana legalization in her campaign. She beforehand worked as a marijuana lobbyist.
Earlier protection: Charlie Crist announces his third campaign for governor of Florida, 2d as a Democrat
“2022 will seemingly be a referendum on marijuana — and putting off any electeds standing the model,” Fried tweeted currently.
Fried also has attracted consideration as a arresting and relentless critic of DeSantis for the length of the pandemic, slamming his policies at every opportunity.
The divide between Democrats and DeSantis has most productive deepened in contemporary months, following a legislative session where he pushed election law modifications, social media regulations, and a crackdown on violence stemming from demonstrations respect these brought on by the Shadowy Lives Subject motion.
Fried faces lots of uphill challenges
Gentle, in a deliver where Democrats last held the Governor’s Mansion in 1998, Fried faces lots of uphill challenges. In campaign financing, Fried has $1.5 million within the monetary institution – when in contrast with $31.6 million for DeSantis, whose nationwide profile is on the upward push amid discuss among Republicans that he’s continuously a White Home contender in 2024.
No topic DeSantis’ bigger ambitions, first will near the governor’s dawdle. While the governor has not formally announced his re-election campaign, it’s a certainty.
Moreover, he’s equally obvious to be a target for Democrats each in Florida and nationally in November 2022.
DeSantis and Fried were each elected in 2018 by wafer-skinny margins. While DeSantis obtained the governor’s dawdle by most productive 32,463 votes, or .4%, over Democrat Andrew Gillum, Fried’s contest with Republican Matt Caldwell turned into even tighter — with the Democrat taking pictures the seat by most productive 6,753 votes.
Fried, a Broward County licensed official, turned into unquestionably one of the well-known few political intellectual spots to emerge in Florida for Democrats that election twelve months and expeditiously emerged as a chief with the defeat of three-time-frame U.S. Sen. Invoice Nelson by Republican Rick Scott.
Fried’s space made her a pure adversary for the governor, whose a success campaign turned into pushed by endorsements from then-President Donald Trump and contributions from many of his nearer allies.
Signs of her great DeSantis
Signs of Fried preparing to mission DeSantis turned stronger in February, when she released a one-minute, campaign-model video whereby she attacked the governor’s management for the length of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While he lashes out at everyone else as if he’s the sufferer, all of us know who the true victims are — every Floridian who has misplaced a cherished one, misplaced a job, misplaced a approach of existence,” Fried acknowledged.
She acknowledged that Florida under DeSantis turned into struggling more within the pandemic thanks to his “blind allegiance to an insurrectionist.”
On the Cupboard, Fried incessantly disputed the governor’s way on policy matters, including environmental disorders. She came under assault from Florida Republicans for halting online hid weapons allow applications for the length of the pandemic, with the NRA dubbing her “anti-gun Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.”
The Florida GOP blasted Fried Tuesday in a tweet that described her as “a lockdown lobbyist who can’t be relied on to make the beautiful choices for Florida families.”
University of Central Florida Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett acknowledged Fried’s strengths encompass the reality that she basically obtained a statewide dawdle in Florida, one thing few Democrats procure done in contemporary decades.
Being a female candidate can also be an advantage at a time when many citizens are taking a look for one thing diversified and male candidates had been the norm for statewide place of residing of work, Jewett acknowledged.
Nikki Fried’s title recognition
Fried isn’t specifically neatly known, even supposing, and doesn’t procure the title recognition of Crist or DeSantis. And Jewett is skeptical that there are sufficient single-situation marijuana voters to make that a decisive situation.
“I don’t know that in a bigger profile dawdle respect governor if there may be sufficient voters who advise that legalizing marijuana is their predominant situation. Is that going to be sufficient?” Jewett acknowledged.
Republicans seem ready for Fried. They accused her of spending noteworthy of her time on the Cupboard positioning herself for the urge she made legit Tuesday.
“Floridians make a selection on someone who will fight for them tirelessly, and Fried’s determined political posturing and reliance on lies and pandering to make a level inform she’s the steady reverse of what Florida wants,” acknowledged Joanna Rodriguez, spokesman for the Republican Governors Association.
Be aware Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. He would maybe per chance additionally be reached at zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com
Read or Half this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/06/01/democrat-nikki-fried-seemingly-great-republican-gov-ron-desantis/7497100002/
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Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announces campaign for governor
