Democrat Holzhauer enters race to replace Deutch in South Florida congressional seat
Palm Beach County Democrat Hava Holzhauer has entered the race to replace retiring Rep. Ted Deutch in the U.S. House.
Holzhauer, 49, prosecuted hate crimes as an assistant state attorney from 2009 to 2011 and later served as the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Florida from 2013 to 2017.
“As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who sacrificed so much to provide our family a better life than they had, and as an advocate who fights for a better society, I am deeply appreciative of the promise that our country offers when at its best. I’ll make it my priority every day to be a voice of possibility and progress for everyone in the district,” Holzhauer said in a campaign announcement for the seat that covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Holzhauer listed the threat of climate change and the rising costs of prescription drugs as issues she would focus on in the race.
“What I’m hearing from people in our community is that they are looking for leadership that will deliver real results,” she said. “My experience fighting for people’s rights has prepared me to serve the people of Florida, who can count on me to always have their backs.”
Holzhauer joins a Democratic field that already includes Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Navy veteran Curtis Calabrese. The primary election will take place Aug. 23.
Moskowitz raised more than $415,000 in support of his candidacy in March and has loaned his campaign an additional $250,000 of his own money. The other Democratic candidates will file their first campaign finance reports in July.
Holzhauer mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Florida Legislature in 2010. For her congressional run, she has tapped Brendan McPhillips, who managed Democrat Andrew Gillum’s 2018 gubernatorial primary campaign and oversaw President Joe Biden’s Pennsylvania campaign operation in 2020, to serve as her senior adviser.
The district has consistently favored Democrats in recent elections with Deutch, the retiring Democratic incumbent, winning his 2020 contest by 17 points. Deutch will retire from Congress at the end of the current term to serve as CEO of the American Jewish Committee. The seat would become the 23rd District under the map Gov. Ron DeSantis approved this month.
