Politico: “Florida Democrats are a mess and have spent the past year stumbling from one crisis to another. That doesn’t mean they lack potential candidates who want to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis next year.
A string of electoral losses, an internal schism over the leadership of the state party and a series of self-inflicted public relations debacles, such as applying for pandemic relief funds, have demoralized local operatives, staff and rainmakers. But ousting the Republican governor is one of the few unifying forces for Democrats — a mantra that has fueled an ever-expanding field of those angling to take on DeSantis in 2022. …
Still, no matter who emerges as Democrats’ 2022 nominee, the candidate will run into a Florida GOP emboldened by 2020 victories, a well-oiled political infrastructure and a vocal former president parked in the state.
“To say they have a head start is a major understatement,” said former Rep. Gwen Graham, who mounted her own unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 and has emerged as a caustic critic of DeSantis since he won.”