Poll Shows Taddeo With Early Lead Over CFO Ingoglia in Florida Statewide Race
Why It Matters
Florida’s 2026 Chief Financial Officer race is shaping up as a competitive contest, with new polling suggesting a Democratic challenger could mount a credible bid against the state’s appointed Republican CFO. The race carries significant policy implications: the CFO’s office oversees Florida’s insurance regulatory portfolio, an issue that polling indicates has damaged the Republican brand statewide.
What Happened
Former state Sen. Annette Taddeo holds a narrow advantage over current CFO Blaise Ingoglia in an early head-to-head ballot test, according to a statewide survey commissioned by Ruth’s List Florida, an abortion-rights-aligned Democratic group focused on electing women. Taddeo has not announced a candidacy, but the polling memo — addressed to her directly — suggests active recruitment efforts are underway.
In the initial ballot test, Taddeo led Ingoglia 39.2% to 37.6%. After voters received positive biographical information about both candidates, her advantage widened to 45.1% versus 40.9% for Ingoglia. Ruth’s List CEO Christina Diamond authored the memo summarizing the findings.
Pollsters surveyed 1,828 likely Florida voters between April 23 and April 30. The poll carried a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.
By the Numbers
- 39.2% to 37.6% — Taddeo’s initial ballot lead over Ingoglia before additional candidate information was provided
- 45.1% to 40.9% — Taddeo’s lead after voters heard biographical details about each candidate
- 18 points — Taddeo’s advantage among no-party-affiliation voters in the initial ballot test (42% to 25%)
- 16 points — the margin by which surveyed voters blamed Republicans for Florida’s property insurance problems
- 1,828 likely voters surveyed statewide; margin of error ±2.8 percentage points
The Candidates
Taddeo, a Colombian American businesswoman and translation company owner, served in the Florida Senate for five years after winning a 2017 special election — becoming the first Latina Democrat elected to that chamber. She was Charlie Crist’s running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial race, briefly sought the governorship herself in 2022, and lost a congressional bid that same cycle. In 2024, she fell short in a race for Miami-Dade County Clerk.
The poll found both candidates carry comparable name recognition. However, Taddeo enters with net-even favorability — 21% favorable against 21% unfavorable — while Ingoglia’s favorability sits at a net minus-5.1. Taddeo also leads among non-Hispanic White voters by two points and is described as strongly positioned among non-Cuban Hispanic voters.
Ingoglia, a homebuilding executive and former Chair of the Republican Party of Florida, was appointed CFO by Gov. Ron DeSantis in July 2025 after Republican Jimmy Patronis vacated the seat to take a U.S. House seat. DeSantis endorsed Ingoglia for a full term in December, citing his audits of local government spending. Ingoglia launched his 2026 campaign in Tampa in September, describing himself as “unapologetically conservative.” He has since accumulated a broad endorsement coalition including Patronis, two former CFOs, several congressional Republicans, and multiple first responder organizations.
The Republican primary field also includes former state Sen. Joe Gruters, the current Republican National Committee Chair who holds the backing of President Donald Trump, along with Republican Frank Collige and no-party-affiliation candidate John Daniel Smith, who operates an impact window company currently in litigation with the CFO’s office over a state grant program.
Zoom Out
Florida’s 2026 midterm environment mirrors a broader national pattern in which out-of-power parties seek to capitalize on voter frustration over cost-of-living and insurance affordability issues. Florida’s property insurance market has been in prolonged turmoil, with residents facing sharply rising premiums and reduced coverage options — a dynamic the poll suggests voters increasingly associate with Republican governance. Democrats across the country have worked to recruit candidates with crossover appeal heading into the midterm cycle. Rep. Jared Moskowitz recently launched his re-election campaign in a redrawn South Florida congressional district, reflecting continued Democratic efforts to hold ground in the state’s competitive political landscape.
What’s Next
Taddeo has made no public commitment to entering the CFO race. Should she declare, she would face a primary-free path on the Democratic side based on currently known candidates, while Ingoglia would need to navigate a competitive Republican primary against Gruters and Collige. Florida’s primary elections are scheduled for August 2026, with the general election in November.