Washington, D.C. – Today, Latino Victory Fund announced its endorsement of Annette Taddeo for Florida Governor and Maxwell Frost for Florida’s 10th Congressional District.
If elected, Taddeo would be the first Latina governor in Florida and the first Democratic governor in two decades. In addition, Frost would be one of the youngest members in Congress and the third Afro-Latino elected to Congress.
“Senator Annette Taddeo is an experienced legislator who has broken barriers for Latinas in Florida politics. She’s a small business owner and a public servant who understands working families’ struggles and wants to ensure all families have the same opportunities she had growing up,” said Nathalie Rayes, Latino Victory Fund President and CEO. “As governor, Annette will work to expand health care access, help Floridians navigate through the Covid-19 pandemic with science-based facts, foster economic growth, and advocate for reproductive rights. We’re proud to support Annette as part of our efforts to grow the political pipeline of the Latino and Latina electorate—she has what it takes to win.”
This announcement is part of Latino Victory Fund’s continued endorsement and support of progressive Latino candidates in the Sunshine State. Florida’s Latino community is a key player in the state’s politics. Every election cycle, their voter turnout and voting preference are splashed across local and national headlines. Latino Victory Fund has a storied history in Florida, and the organization is going back in 2022 to help elect progressive candidates, mobilize Latino voters, and ensure donors continue to invest in this critical state.
“Latino Victory Fund is proud to endorse Maxwell Frost for Florida’s 10th Congressional District. Frost has been a fighter for social justice and has pushed for policies that put Floridian first,” said Rayes. “The Latino community is young and growing—and this must be reflected in our Latino leadership in Congress. Frost will be an empowering voice for Latino’s growing and influential demographic. Latino Victory is thrilled to support him in this historic race, and we can’t wait to see him bringing fresh ideas that will move the needle in the fight for social justice and progressive policies.”
Meet Annette Taddeo
- Taddeo is the daughter of an American WWII fighter pilot who gave her a true fighting spirit. As a little girl and a teenager, Taddeo underwent 19 major surgeries to correct a cleft lip. When she was 17, her father Anthony was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
- She was forced to flee an unstable Colombia to the United States. After living and working her way through college waiting tables in Alabama, Taddeo moved to Miami in the wake of Hurricane Andrew to help her parents rebuild their lives.
- During those difficult months living in a motor home, she started her own business at the young age of twenty-two. She has been a small business owner for nearly 30 years. Her business, LanguageSpeak, offers translations in more than 240 languages and has been named one of the Top 100 Small Businesses in Florida.
- In 2017, Taddeo became the first Latina Democrat elected to the State Senate in Florida history when she flipped a Senate seat held by a Republican.
- She has spent her career fighting for core Democratic issues like a living wage for all Floridians, defending a woman’s right to make choices about her own body, economic growth through helping our small businesses, affordable healthcare for all Floridians, safe drinking water, and stronger and safer schools.
Meet Maxwell Alejandro Frost
- Maxwell Alejandro Frost is a civil rights activist who is fighting on the frontlines for justice, where he’s been beaten by cops, tear-gassed, arrested, jailed for those efforts.
- In 2018, he helped lead the ACLU of Florida’s fight to win Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to over 1.6 million Floridians who had previous felony convictions.
- As Organizing Director at March for Our Lives, one of the largest youth-led political movements in the country, he led an ambitious youth voter turnout program that helped drive record turnout for Democrats in the 2020 presidential election.
- As a National Organizer with the ACLU in 2020, he worked to get President Biden on board in support of abolishing the Hyde Amendment, legislation that has limited abortion access for millions of people.
- Once the President was elected, Frost worked in coalition with national progressive groups to secure an unprecedented five billion dollars in funding for community-based violence prevention programs in the administration’s budget proposal. If elected, Maxwell would be the first Gen-Z and third Afro-Latino member of Congress.
###
The Latino Victory Fund is a progressive political action committee with the mission of growing Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government – from the school board to the Senate to the White House.
