Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham is headed to Miami to make a “major announcement” on Tuesday, likely announcing her intentions to run for Florida governor in 2018.
Graham’s former communications director Matt Harringer made the announcement Monday afternoon.
“Gwen Graham will make a major announcement at a news conference at Miami Carol City Park, tomorrow at 10:00 am,” read the email.
If Graham does formally jump into the race, she will be the third Democrat to officially declare her candidacy for the state’s highest office.
Graham was one of the first politicians to openly discuss the possibility of running for governor last year when she announced she’d forego a second term in Congress in 2016.
“Our state government is just dysfunctional and this causes me to rethink how I can best serve the people of North Florida and our state," Graham said at the time. "Floridians are hungry for new leadership."
She has spent much of the past year meeting with Democrats around the state, drumming up support for a potential run through party activists, local officials and state lawmakers.
Gov. Rick Scott, who has served as governor since 2010, will be unable to seek reelection due to term limits.
A longtime Tallahassee resident, Graham first stepped onto the political scene in 2014 when she ran for Congress for Florida's 2nd District, which covered the eastern part of the Florida Panhandle and Tallahassee.
The new boundary lines split Tallahassee in half and cover Bay to Levy County, lines which heavily leaned in favor of the Republican Party -- so Graham decided to skip out on her reelection bid.
Despite her newbie political status, Graham has name recognition which has aided her own foray into Florida politics. Her father is former Florida Gov. Bob Graham, who held office from 1979-1987. Graham later served 18 years in the U.S. Senate until 2005.
Graham is not alone in her considerations for governor. The Democratic field is quickly becoming crowded with candidates -- and it only seems to fill up more and more as days go by.
Other Democrats like Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and Orlando businessman Chris King have already officially filed to run for the job and have started to pounce on the base, traveling feverishly across the state to rub shoulders with party faithful in an attempt to lock up the nomination.
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and Orlando attorney John Morgan are also rumored to be pondering gubernatorial bids.
On the Republican side, rumors are swirling that Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has his eyes on the governor's mansion in 2018.
Putnam’s big fundraising numbers have only added fuel to the fire of a potential bid for governor. He has steadily fundraised through his own political action committee, Florida Grown, bringing in nearly $11 million since 2015.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, and Senate Budget Chair Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, are rumored to be considering running for the Republican gubernatorial candidacy as well.
Graham, meanwhile, has funneled money between her committees in anticipation of a run. She recently transferred money from her congressional campaign to her state political committee, Our Florida, to help finance her push to the governor’s mansion.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
