She made her feedback throughout a Tuesday information convention the place she referred to as on DeSantis to veto a prolonged record of payments,
She made her feedback throughout a Tuesday information convention the place she referred to as on DeSantis to veto a prolonged record of payments, in addition to amplify her forthcoming gubernatorial messaging on the identical day Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor, introduced his bid for governor. The supply got here lower than an hour after a gathering of DeSantis and the Florida Cupboard, the place Fried and the Republican governor sat simply ft from one another for almost two hours.
Fried, like different Democrats, has zeroed in on so-called anti-riot laws DeSantis referred to as for within the wake of protests that sprang up throughout the nation after the homicide of George Floyd. However she’s additionally more and more hitting DeSantis’ choice to invalidate pandemic orders put in place by native governments, akin to masks mandates.
“The folks of our state don’t need a dictator for governor,” she mentioned. “They need somebody who appears out for his or her well-being.”
As Florida’s solely statewide elected Democrat, Fried has lengthy been seen as a 2022 challenger to DeSantis, however the subject is not going to be her’s alone. Together with Crist asserting his bid to return to the governor’s mansion on Tuesday, Orlando Democratic Rep. Val Demings can be anticipated to run, and the previous police chief is already drawing important buzz in Democratic circles.
The Republican Celebration of Florida has largely been serving as DeSantis’ defender, lambasting Crist after his Tuesday announcement, but in addition sharpening their assaults on Fried due to her long-seen frontrunner standing.
“Nikki Fried is as soon as once more utilizing her workplace for political grandstanding and has been campaigning for governor for the reason that day she was elected,” the social gathering mentioned in a press release Tuesday. “Fried ought to be targeted on the company she was elected to supervise. Sadly, she is as much as her ears in conflicts of curiosity, and is beholden to particular pursuits.”
Her timeline for declaring her candidacy isn’t but clear, however she has signaled the announcement is imminent.
“I get that query on nearly an hourly foundation at this level,” Fried mentioned throughout the press convention. “As our state’s solely statewide elected Democrat and as somebody who has at all times put public companies earlier than partisanship, it’s changing into clearer and clearer … that what we have now seen from this governor that final two and a half years from this governor, the he should be a one-term governor.”