Two Jewish members of Florida’s congressional delegation, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) were reelected in districts redrawn in a rare mid-census redistricting, the Associated Press said.
The AP called Wasserman Schultz’s race at 7:09 p.m. and Moskowitz’s at 8:07.
Wasserman Schultz, a former Democratic National Committee chair, switched districts to a Democratic-leaning one with a large minority population, angering politicians who had hoped to elect a person of color to the seat.
She was the only white candidate running, won the primary, and then defeated Republican Brent Andersen.
With 95% of votes counted at press time, Wasserman Schultz had 177,720 votes, or 74.6%, well ahead of Andersen’s 51,337, or 21.5%.
“Our winning campaign stands on the shoulders of hardworking families, devout congregations, unyielding unions, brave LGBTQ+ advocates and the proud black, Caribbean and Hispanic families that make up our wonderful South Florida community,” she stated after the race was called.
“I’m so proud to have earned their overwhelming confidence to go to battle for each one of their families,” she said.
Moskowitz beat another Jewish candidate, Scott Singer, former mayor of Boca Raton, Fla., who had been endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The race was considered a toss-up until the final weeks of the campaign when the Cook Political Report gave Moskowitz an edge.
“This district was drawn to defeat me,” Moskowitz stated. “Voters had other plans.”
With 97% of votes counted, Moskowitz had 141,442 votes, or 51.3%, to Singer’s 128,359, or 46.6%, according to the AP.
Both Wasserman Schultz and Moskowitz have been staunch supporters of Israel, even as some members of the House Democratic Caucus have criticized the Jewish state’s response to Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attacks.
Singer made an issue of the Democratic critics of Israel in an address to the Republican Jewish Coalition at its conference in December.
“Voters in this district now finally have a choice of a true defender of Israel with a record of results, who’s not beholden to party leadership that is increasingly out of whack with what most of us feel,” Singer said at the conference.
“He’s in the wrong party, and that’s a real problem where we’re seeing this nation go,” he said.
