Former state Senator Nan Rich filed paperwork on Tuesday, qualifying to run for Florida governor.
Rich, a Weston Democrat, will face former Governor Charlie Crist in a Democratic primary on August 26.
“Any election to me is a challenge once someone else’s name is on the ballot, too,” Rich told reporters Tuesday, according to news reports. “We feel we have the right message. People really are looking at going forward not backward.”
Despite garnering grass-roots support, Rich is considered the underdog in the race with Crist holding a huge fundraising advantage.
Rich appeared to tie Crist to Gov. Rick Scott and issued the following statement after she qualified:
“For the past eight years, Republican governors Rick Scott and Charlie Crist and the right-wing Republican leadership in the Legislature have taken Florida down the wrong path,” she said. “It’s time we changed direction. I believe it’s time Florida had a genuine progressive governor again. And, this year, I am the only genuine progressive Democrat running.”
Scott and Crist qualified on Monday.
