Broward’s Ted Deutch will retire from Congress to lead American Jewish Committee
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch won’t seek reelection to Congress this year, the Florida Democrat announced Monday.
Deutch, first elected to the U.S. House in a 2010 special election, announced his plans to forgo the midterm election a day before President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address. The Florida lawmaker is the 31st House Democrat to announce retirement plans, a signal that the party is in danger of losing its narrow House majority in November.
“In my seven terms in Congress, I have worked hard and tried to find common ground. I’m proud of my work to make our communities safer from gun violence, strengthen Social Security and protect our most vulnerable seniors, and ensure Holocaust survivors can live in dignity,” Deutch said in a statement Monday afternoon. “I’m proud of the many bipartisan ways we’ve come together — to provide resources for those battling eating disorders, to help seniors at risk of fraud, and to combat climate change.”
Deutch’s 22nd Congressional District includes Parkland, the community that became synonymous with the fight for stronger gun control after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 dead and 17 injured. The Florida Democrat has been a vocal advocate for stronger gun control measures and has called on Biden to use Tuesday’s speech to push for legislation.
“Our community was profoundly changed on February 14, 2018. Seventeen students and teachers of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were killed that day, and I have tried every day since to be there for their families and to help them honor the memories of their loved ones in all the ways they are working to make our schools and community safer,” Deutch said Monday.
“I have also tried to support the survivors in any way I can, though it is their powerful voices that have helped create desperately needed change. The Parkland families and student survivors inspire me every day.”
Deutch notably pushed last year for the expulsion of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who has promoted fringe conspiracy theories, including the idea that the Parkland massacre was staged. The House ultimately stripped Greene of her committee assignments rather than removing her from the House.
Deutch’s new job
After his retirement, Deutch, who co-chairs the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, will become the new CEO of the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group which works to combat antisemitism and strengthen Israel’s global position.
“Ted’s deep and lifelong commitment to the Jewish community, Israel, and to the protection of democratic values is obvious to all who know him. His shared passion for AJC’s mission and vision makes him a natural fit to advance our critical global work,” AJC President Harriet Schleifer said in a news release announcing Deutch’s hiring.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a lawmaker who represents a neighboring district, praised Deutch’s selection for the job.
“I’m thrilled that the global Jewish community will soon have the tremendous leadership, advocacy, expertise and compassion of my dear friend and colleague, Ted Deutch. No one is more committed to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship and fighting the scourge of antisemitism than Ted,” Wasserman Schultz, a former Democratic National Committee chair, said in a statement.
Deutch currently chairs the House Ethics Committee, the panel charged with investigating allegations of impropriety by lawmakers and in the past year with doling out fines for House members who refuse to enter the chamber through metal detectors that were installed after the Jan. 6 attack.
Deutch waited out the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in his office and told the Herald that as a Jewish lawmaker he feared potential targeting from the mob, which included people wearing neo-Nazi paraphernalia.
The Florida Democrat informed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of his decision to retire before the public announcement, the speaker’s office confirmed. In a statement hours later, Pelosi recounted that two weeks ago she joined Deutch on a congressional trip to Israel “where he was warmly received as a longtime champion of the Jewish state and helped convey the Congress’ ironclad commitment to Israel.“
She praised him as “a powerful voice for South Floridians,” who led the “charge for action on gun violence after the horrific massacre in Parkland.”
The balance of power in Congress
Deutch’s retirement decision follows a wave of other Democratic retirement announcements, including Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a moderate who represents the Orlando area. Democrats currently hold a narrow 11-seat advantage over Republicans in the 435-member House. The president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections.
Between Murphy and Deutch’s retirements — along with statewide campaigns by Democratic Reps. Charlie Crist and Val Demings — the party will have to defend four open House seats in Florida in the upcoming election. This coincides with the party’s struggle to recruit candidates for GOP-held seats.
The National Republican Congressional Committee reacted to Deutch’s retirement as a sign that the “House Democrats’ majority is doomed,” but it’s unlikely Republicans will seriously target the Democratic-leaning seat as they focus resources on more competitive seats elsewhere in the country.
Deutch’s district, which includes portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties, has been solidly Democratic in recent elections with both Biden and Deutch winning by double digits in 2020. His retirement sets up a potentially competitive primary with an attractive opportunity for local Democrats to make the jump to Congress.
“Filling his shoes will not be easy, but there is no shortage of talented Democrats able to step up and represent this district in Congress,” Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Marcus Dixon said in a statement.
Could Moskowitz be a successor?
One possibility might be Jared Moskowitz, a former state representative from Parkland who was the only Democrat tapped by Gov. Ron DeSantis to head up a state agency. He served as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management through the first two years of the pandemic.
Moskowitz left the job in May and returned to Broward County where he worked as a lobbyist, and a consultant to Miami-Dade County government. In November, DeSantis appointed him to the Broward County Commission to represent District 8 for the term that began in January.
“In addition to being a steadfast advocate for his constituents, he has been an ardent defender of Israel, a gun safety advocate, a longtime personal friend to me and my late father and a role model for my own approach to public service,” Moskowitz said in a statement.
“Today is a day to celebrate all that Ted has accomplished in support of our community and in pursuit of our Democratic values. I will be announcing my own plans to ensure that Broward and Palm Beach residents may continue to count on the formidable standards of service and integrity that they deserve in the U.S. House of Representatives during this critical time when our very democracy is under assault.”
Miami Herald Tallahasse Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 1:50 PM.
