| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Tuesday. Exit stage left — Well, it happened. State Sen. Annette Taddeo — who first said she wasn't running for governor, then said she was, and then said she wasn't dropping out of the race for governor — made it official on Monday and ended her bid. She is now switching over to challenge Rep. María Elvira Salazar for Florida's 27th Congressional District. End of the line — Of course this isn't too much of a surprise. Taddeo was at a disadvantage from the start since she jumped into the race late, and then was forced to stop fundraising for two months during this year's legislative session. Her decision to challenge Salazar finally ends the complicated dance by South Florida Democrats to find a candidate in the on-paper competitive district (yes, I know there will be a primary, and the recruitment woes of Democrats this cycle are yet another story to tell). The next move — But what about the governor's race and the now-two-candidate Democratic primary? Wait, wait — The campaign of Nikki Fried, which initially downplayed any impact that Taddeo would have on the race when she jumped in, now says it's a big, big deal that Taddeo is exiting. Matthew Van Name, strategic manager for Fried, put out a memo late Monday saying that her departure could push Fried's numbers up anywhere from 10 to 15 points. "That is enough to break 50% and get to our win number," Name wrote. Understatement time — Name's memo downplays polls that show Fried losing to rival Democrat Charlie Crist but does concede that "it's no secret we are still an underfunded campaign." Going forward — Fried's strategy is to keep pounding Crist by insisting he's not trustworthy because he was once a Republican who was backed by the NRA. Fried herself tweeted on Monday that "Okay, I'm now the only Democrat running for governor of Florida who doesn't describe themselves as pro-life.'" Yes, but — Unless Fried can get enough money to start airing television ads or pay for a sustained mailing campaign, it's going to be an uphill battle to turn things around. Primary campaigns aren't just won on social media and this year's primary ballot — as opposed to 2018 — won't be divided between multiple candidates. Crist is probably going to go up on the air in the near future. He's picked up more endorsements and now he has progressives beginning to join him. Let the summer slog begin. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The first major ad in the U.S. Senate race here starts airing Tuesday in the Tampa Bay market. Florida First Project , a super PAC that backed Sen. Marco Rubio in 2016 and had been relatively quiet since, is spending $1.5 million to slam his opponent with a broadcast and cable buy, according to data assembled by AdImpact, a media tracking firm. Initial effort at defining Demings — The ad hammers Democratic Rep. Val Demings as an acolyte of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who votes for bills backed by House Democratic leaders. It is scheduled to remain on the air in the Tampa market until June 28. Florida First Project's first quarter report showed that the PAC is being bankrolled by some well-known Rubio donors, including billionaire Norman Braman as well as the company run by Maximo Alvarez, the Cuban immigrant who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention. Jeffrey Vinik, the owner of the Tampa Bay Lighting, also gave $25,000 to the super PAC. MOVING ON — "Annette Taddeo drops governor bid to challenge Maria Elvira Salazar instead ," by CBS Miami's Jim DeFede: "Annette Taddeo is abandoning her campaign for governor and will instead challenge Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar. In an interview with CBS News Miami, Taddeo said she made the decision following the recent mass shootings. 'We are at a critical point in our country,' Taddeo told CBS News Miami. 'And frankly, I am not going to stand on the sidelines and not go in there and fight, especially after what we saw in Buffalo and Uvalde.' During the interview, she took direct aim at Salazar, whose first two years in Congress have been marked by controversy and outlandish statements. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she said she supported direct U.S. military engagement with Russia declaring, 'Freedom is not free.'" | 
Sen. Annette Taddeo - Democratic candidate for governor - kicked off a 67-county campaign tour in front of the Governor's Mansion. | Gary Fineout/POLITICO |
STAR PERFORMANCE — "'Better than President Trump': DeSantis clout swells in the West," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: It was the second year in a row DeSantis bested the former president at the summit, an annual gathering of around 2,000 party activities just outside of Denver. That straw poll comes on the heels of DeSantis also running neck-and-neck with Trump in a new University of Nevada, Reno survey asking voters in the state to rate potential 2024 candidates. DeSantis received the highest favorability score of any Republican with all voters — 48 percent compared to Trump's 42 percent — but was bested by Trump, 73-69, when just Republicans were counted.
The heir — "There is no real party standard-bearer at the moment, and DeSantis in many eyes is starting to define the post-Trump party," said Tyler Sandberg, a veteran Republican GOP operative based in Colorado. "He fights more about policy and less on his Twitter account." RESPONSE — " DeSantis campaign hits back at Soros-funded election 'manipulation' with ad buy on Hispanic radio network," by Fox News' Brandon Gillespie: "Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' reelection campaign is hitting back at attempts by liberal billionaire George Soros to 'manipulate' the midterm elections by purchasing an ad buy on two Miami radio stations being acquired by a new left-wing radio network targeted toward Hispanic Americans. 'Governor Ron DeSantis is taking [on] Soros on his own turf with a Spanish language ad buy on the Soros network, serving as a PSA to Hispanic Floridians to warn of the pro-socialism, radical agenda behind The Latino Media Network,' read a statement the DeSantis campaign provided to Fox News Digital." THAT WAS QUICK — Former Rep. Dennis Ross drops comeback bid, by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Former Rep. Dennis Ross ended his brief comeback attempt on Monday as the Lakeland Republican said he was suspending his campaign for Florida's 15th congressional district. "I firmly believe that I am the most qualified candidate in this eight-person race, and I had been looking forward to running a very positive, issue-oriented campaign," Ross said in a statement. "However, with limited resources and a crowded field of candidates, I have decided to discontinue my efforts." DOUBLE DOG DARE — "Don Jr. dominating Rick Scott in hypothetical Florida Senate match-up by more than 20 points, per Trump pollster," by Mediaite's Colby Hall: "Axios' Jonathan Swan tweeted a slide from pollster Tony Fabrizio's presentation showing that in a theoretical matchup between Trump, Jr. and the sitting senator, the son of former President Donald Trump has a significant lead, 56% to 32%. Fabrizio does a lot of internal polling for the former president, and so the seemingly intentional leak of this slide — which Swan says did not come from a poll commissioned by Don Jr. or his allies — can easily be viewed as a shot across the bow of the SS Rick Scott." ALL APOLOGIES — Keith Edwards, a spokesman for the gubernatorial campaign for Nikki Fried, on Monday wound up deleting a tweet he posted mocking state Rep. Anna Eskamani, the progressive Democrat who last week endorsed Rep. Charlie Crist for governor. In his initial tweet — which came in the wake of Sierra Club Florida endorsing Crist and including back and forth about Fried's environmental record — Edwards labeled Eskamani as an "off brand AOC tampering in the dark arts of disinformation." Edwards quickly retreated amid an outpouring of criticism and posted this : "Earlier, I tweeted at @AnnaForFlorida in a way that was disrespectful. For that, I am sorry. It's worrying to see her support a self-described pro-life Republican, but this wasn't the way to do it. I've deleted the tweet. The focus should be on exposing Charlie and beating Ron." — "Audrey Gibson to enter Jax mayoral race Tuesday ," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski — "Crist asks federal government to safeguard Florida voting rights," by Tampa Bay Times' Romy Ellenbogen — "Nikki Fried asks feds to monitor Florida election activities," by Florida Politics' Scott Powers — " George Gainer to forgo re-election to state Senate," by Florida Politics' Renzo Downey
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | SCHOOL DAZE — "DeSantis seeks control over universities, targeting tenure, 'politicized' classes," by Orlando Sentinel's Skyler Swisher: "Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies are seeking more influence in university classrooms, targeting tenure, waging a battle against "politicized" courses and contemplating a significant change in how professors are hired across the state. DeSantis says he is bringing accountability to higher education and ensuring universities aren't indoctrinating students with what he and other GOP leaders see as a liberal bias." — " LGBTQ groups ready to fight Florida over Medicaid ban for transgender treatments," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders — "U.S. Supreme Court sides with Florida in dispute on recouping Medicaid money ," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders
| | | | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | CLOSER LOOK — "Florida's health department undercounted COVID cases and deaths, state audit says ," by Tampa Bay Times' Ian Hodgson: "Florida's COVID-19 data was so inaccurate, incomplete and delayed during the first months of the pandemic that government officials and the public may not have had necessary information to determine the effectiveness of the state's COVID-19 precautions and the best plan to fight the virus, according to a state report released Monday. Covering the state's pandemic response from March to October 2020, the year-long analysis by the State Auditor General found missing case and death data, unreported demographic details, and incomplete contact tracing as the virus spread across the state. In addition, the report concluded that state health officials did not perform routine checks on the data to ensure accuracy and did not follow up on discrepancies." — "As Orlando-area COVID hospitalizations climb, CDC urges masks to preserve resources," by Orlando Sentinel's Caroline Catherman
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | FLORIDA MAN — "Proud Boys leader Tarrio, 4 lieutenants charged with seditious conspiracy ," by Washington Post's Spencer S. Hsu, Rachel Weiner and Tom Jackman: "Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, the former longtime chairman of the extremist group Proud Boys, was indicted on a new federal charge of seditious conspiracy with four top lieutenants on Monday. The charges expand the Justice Department's allegations of organized plotting to oppose through violence the certification of President Biden's election victory, culminating in the attack on the Capitol by a mob on Jan. 6, 2021." Also charged — "A 10-count superseding indictment returned Monday morning charges Tarrio, [Dominic] Pezzola and three other existing defendants — Ethan Nordean of Washington state, Joe Biggs of Florida and Zachary Rehl of Pennsylvania — with 'opposing the lawful transfer of presidential power by force,' eventually mustering and coordinating the movements of as many as 300 people around the Capitol that day." |  AP Photo/Allison Dinner, File |
| | Bidenology | | BLOCKED — "The Biden administration excludes Cuba from the Summit of the Americas," by El Nuevo Herald's Nora Gámez Torres : "The Biden administration finally confirmed it did not invite the authoritarian governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to participate at the Ninth Summit of the Americas that starts Monday in Los Angeles over concerns about human rights in those countries. 'The U.S. continues to maintain reservations regarding the lack of democratic space and the human rights situations in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela,' a senior administration official said. LEADING TO THIS — Mexican president won't attend Summit of the Americas by POLITICO's Kelly Hooper: Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will skip the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles later this week over objections to President Joe Biden's guest list for the event. López Obrador confirmed his decision Monday following weeks of threats that he would stay home if the White House refused to invite authoritarian leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the summit.
| | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | TENSION — "Defense attorneys in Florida school shooting try to withdraw," by The Associated Press' Terry Spencer: "The public defenders representing Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz tried to withdraw from his death penalty trial Monday after the judge ordered them to move forward with jury selection even though one member of their five-member team is sick with COVID-19. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rejected the withdrawal motion by Cruz's lead attorney, Melisa McNeill. The defense then filed a motion asking Scherer to remove herself from the case, accusing her of being biased against Cruz. Scherer dismissed the request."
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | THE GREAT SKIP-OUT — "Student absences jump up this school year, prompting fears of further learning losses ," by Orlando Sentinel's Leslie Postal: "Across Central Florida this past school year, educators watched student absences shoot up, most steeply during the delta and omicron coronavirus surges but at other times, too, making them fearful the pandemic had frayed families' belief in the importance of daily school attendance. By February, about 66,800 students in Orange County Public Schools, or nearly 34% of the district's enrollment, had missed 18 days or more, district data showed. About 20% of OCPS students missed 10% of the 2018-19 school year, the last full year before the pandemic." — "Gov. DeSantis appoints Undersheriff Pat Ivey as Jacksonville sheriff, endorses T.K. Waters," by Florida Times-Union's Katherine Lewin — " Officials: Florida fire chief arrested on murder charge," by The Associated Press
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: State Sen. Jason Brodeur … former state Rep. Buzz Ritchie ... Myra Adams, political and religious writer
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