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Nikki Fried, likely candidate for governor, promises 'something new'

Florida agriculture commissioner hints at June 1 announcement
Nikki Fried, possible candidate for Florida governor
Posted at 3:59 PM, May 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-12 16:27:02-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Nikki Fried is promising "something new" June 1, which will all but likely be to announce she's running for governor in 2022.

Florida's agriculture commissioner released a social media video Wednesday, along with the hashtag #somethingnew, teasing a June 1 announcement.

The video includes a montage of Fried speaking and touts the 43-year-old Fort Lauderdale attorney's accomplishments as the only Democrat to win a statewide election in 2018.

It also includes a clip in which she attacks current Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"The people of the state of Florida will not be suppressed," Fried says in the video. "Their voices will not be shut down. They will rise up. They will see Ron DeSantis for who he is -- an authoritarian dictator."

Charlie Crist was the first Democrat to officially enter the gubernatorial race. Crist is a current congressman and once served as Florida's governor -- though he was a Republican at the time.

Fried told reporters after Crist's May 4 announcement that "it makes absolute sense" for her to run for governor.

The video seems to solidify that.

"It's becoming clearer and clearer that Ron DeSantis needs to be a one-term governor," Fried says in another clip.

U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is also thought to be a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2022.