Nikki Fried Calls Ron DeSantis' Transgender Sports Bill 'Heartless' Ahead of Gubernatorial Run

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried took to Twitter on Tuesday to call out Gov. Ron DeSantis' new "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," a bill that will ban transgender athletes from playing on girls' sports teams.

DeSantis signed the bill early Tuesday morning, and Fried tweeted that the ban he was signing into place was "heartless," especially as he signed it on the first day of Pride Month.

"Florida should stand for inclusivity, equality, and liberty — not peddling hate for political points," she tweeted.

The commissioner and DeSantis have been at odds since Fried was elected to her current job in 2018, and she became one of his fiercest critics online, slamming him for multiple bills, including raising taxes and voting laws, of which Fried said in a private press ceremony covered by Fox News, "This governor has infringed upon our rights once again."

This most recent Twitter call-out comes on the same day that Fried has announced that she will be running for governor of Florida in 2022.

"She knows how to win as a Democrat in Florida," said State Rep. Dan Daley to the Sun Sentinel, "She's done a tremendous job as the only statewide elected Democrat in keeping people honest the last couple of years, particularly during the COVID pandemic."

She has been widely hinting at running for quite some time now. In a video on Twitter in early May, Fried pointed out news reports that called her "a new face of the party," and concluded her video with the words, "Join us for #somethingnew." The announcement was widely anticipated as the video concluded with "6.01.2021."

Political scientist Sean Foreman said that Fried has a "great amount of potential, and it's been stored up over the last couple of years, and now it's time to unleash that potential on the state and see where it leads."

Fried officially filed the paperwork on Tuesday stating that she will be raising and spending money as a candidate for the Democratic nomination. She will be running against Congressman Charlie Crist for the Democratic primary, who announced last month that he will be running and is expected to be a fierce competitor.

If she wins the nomination, Fried will be running against DeSantis.

"It's going to be a bruising primary because so much is at stake and the anticipation has been building," Foreman said.

"It won't be easy," Fried said in her official campaign announcement video. "Those in power will do whatever harm it takes to stay there, but I've spent my whole life taking on the system. I'm unafraid, I'm tested, I'm ready."

Newsweek reached out to Fried's office for comment.