Mitch Perry
Annette Taddeo is locking down more endorsements in advance of the Democratic primary scheduled next month in the special election in Senate District 40.
Two major unions in Florida — the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) — announced Tuesday they’re backing her candidacy.
“We have a great opportunity to elect Annette Taddeo who has a proven track record of being a passionate and determined voice for the residents of Senate District 40,” said Monica Russo, President of SEIU Florida. “Annette brings both grace and grit to this crucial race. She is a fighter and a negotiator. Should she win, expect Annette Taddeo to go toe-to-toe with the power structure to fight for the rights of working folks.”
Taddeo is running against former state representative and Miami-Dade School board member Ana Rivas Logan for the Democratic nomination in the Southwest Miami-Dade district race to succeed Senator Frank Artiles on July 25. Rivas Logan is a former Republican who switched parties after serving one term in the Florida House back in 2014.
“At a time when Tallahassee is in desperate need of new ideas and a commitment to transparency, Annette Taddeo is the leader we need,” said Andy Madtes, Executive Director of AFSCME Florida. “SEIU and AFSCME stand united in Florida to make sure the voice of the working men and women is heard loud and clear in this important special election.”
Officials say that AFSCME Florida and SEIU Florida represent more than 6,000 workers in SD 40, and they’ll run “an aggressive joint program focused on the needs and aspirations of their members and other working class families in the district by detailing what is at stake, energizing them to vote, volunteer, and recruit their neighbors to vote for a Senator who will fight for their needs.”
Taddeo, a Miami businesswoman who has been unsuccessful in previous attempts for elective office, was endorsed by the Democratic Progressive Caucus in Florida last week.
The winner of the Democratic nominee will take on the Republican nominee in September. The GOP race on July 25 is between state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Lorenzo Palomares.
Artiles, a Republican from Hialeah, resigned from the seat in disgrace back in April, days after he made a racist and sexist rant at two black Democratic lawmakers.
