Why It Matters
A potential challenge to flip a competitive Florida Senate seat could test whether recent Democratic Special Election victories signal broader momentum heading into November elections. Senate District 38, which covers parts of Miami-Dade County, is considered one of the state’s most competitive districts based on voter registration.
What Happened
Former Florida state Senator Annette Taddeo is strongly considering a run for her old seat in Senate District 38, according to multiple sources familiar with discussions. Taddeo represented the district from 2017 until 2022, when she left to pursue a Congressional campaign.
Democratic operatives say interest in a Taddeo comeback intensified after Democrats won upset Special Election victories in House District 87 and Senate District 14 last month. Several sitting Senators have encouraged Taddeo to challenge Republican Senator Alexis Calatayud, who currently holds the seat.
Former state Representative J.C. Planas, who serves as General Counsel for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, confirmed that Taddeo is seriously considering the race. Planas cited her name recognition, fundraising ability, and previous electoral success in the district as factors that would make her a formidable candidate.
By The Numbers
Taddeo won a Special Election for the Senate seat in September 2017 and defended it in 2018, defeating her Republican opponent by 4 percentage points. Senate District 38 now leans slightly Republican by voter registration, making it one of Florida’s most competitive legislative districts. Democrats are targeting the Republican supermajority in the state Senate, which requires holding every current seat and flipping additional districts.
Taddeo ran unsuccessfully for Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller in 2024, losing to Republican incumbent Juan Fernandez-Barquin.
Background
Taddeo was born in Colombia and immigrated to the United States at age 17 after her father was kidnapped by terrorists. She owns a translation business called LanguageSpeak and entered politics in 2008 with an unsuccessful challenge to then-U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
She served as Chair of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party from 2012 to 2017, organizing candidate recruitment efforts including a 2014 push to contest every state House race in the county. After unsuccessful bids for Lieutenant Governor in 2014 and Congress in 2016, she won the Senate seat in a 2017 Special Election.
The Challenge
Unseating Calatayud may prove difficult despite the district’s competitive voter registration. Calatayud has established a legislative record that includes voting against the state’s six-week abortion restriction and amending land-use legislation to maintain Miami-Dade’s Urban Development Boundary, which protects the Everglades and Biscayne Bay.
Calatayud also sponsored the Live Local Act to expand affordable housing statewide and worked across party lines on AIDS medication funding and domestic violence protections. She publicly called for action after leaked text messages showed members of the Miami-Dade Republican Party using slurs targeting Jewish and Black residents.
What’s Next
Taddeo has not publicly announced a decision. The 2026 legislative elections will take place in November, with candidate qualifying typically occurring in the spring. Democrats hope to capitalize on momentum from recent Special Election victories to narrow Republican legislative majorities statewide.