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FL-22: Support Grows at Rapid Pace Two Members of Congress Endorse Lois Frankel Representatives Wilson (FL-17) and Hastings (FL-23) Endorse Lois Frankel for Congress
Submitted by brandt on 21 February 2012 - 11:52am
WEST PALM BEACH -- Building on a roll out of endorsements from all over South Florida, the Frankel Campaign announced the support of two of South Florida’s Congressional Delegation: Rep. Alcee Hastings (FL-23), and Rep. Frederica Wilson. (FL-17)
As her campaign endorsements and fundraising continue at a rapid pace, voters saw the departure of Allen West from the race as he realized he could not win a campaign in Florida’s 22nd District. Instead West appointed Adam Hasner to fill his shoes as the Tea Party extremist in the race.
Speaking about the most recent endorsements for her campaign, Frankel said,
“I am so proud of the support from my friends in South Florida's
congressional delegation. I look forward to working with them as we turn
the attention of Congress away from fighting with each other and back
towards improving our economy.”
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said, “Lois was my
Democratic Leader in the State House. I watched her stand up for working
families and seniors day after day. I am supporting Lois Frankel
because she will work to get our economy rolling again. Lois’s record
proves that she will go to Congress every day, roll up her sleeves and
fight to get our economy back on track."
Congressman Hastings added, "I know that Lois is
someone who will tirelessly work to get things done. Months ago I began
supporting Lois’s campaign because I watched her as Mayor and as a State
Legislator focus on what is best for her constituents. Day in and day
out, Lois will bring her work ethic and produce results for the people
we are representing in Washington."
Lois Frankel has been endorsed by: Betty Castor, Alex Sink,
Kendrick Meek, Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, incoming Senate Minority
Leader Chris Smith, State Senator Eleanor Sobel, Broward Commissioner
Sue Gunzburger, Palm Beach County District 5 Commissioner Burt Aaronson,
Palm Beach County District 7 Commissioner Priscilla Taylor, Palm Beach
County District 3 Commissioner Shelly Vana, Senate Minority Whip Maria
Sachs, Democratic Pro Tem Joe Gibbons, incoming House Democratic Leader
Perry Thurston, EMILY’s List, The Palm Beach Human Rights Council,
Women’s Campaign Fund, National Organization for Women, WAND, National
Women’s Political Caucus, and Feminist Majority.
Broward Commissioner Sue Gunzburger Endorses Lois Frankel
Submitted by brandt on 9 February 2012 - 7:30pm
West Palm Beach - Broward County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger announced her full support for Lois Frankel’s Campaign for Congress.
"I strongly endorse Lois Frankel in her race for Congress in Florida’s 22nd District because she has always been a fighter. A year ago she had the courage to step up and take on Tea Party Congressman Allen West. But that’s not a surprise, since she has always taken on the tough fights. And I know that she will keep up the fight for working families, seniors and our entire community,” said Gunzburger.
Sue Gunzburger is a long time member of the Broward County
Commission. She was first elected in 1992 by a landslide margin. She has
been touted as a real reformer who wants to hold people accountable for
their actions. Commissioner Gunzburger served as Chair of the County
Commission for 1994-1995 and 1999-2000. She also served as Vice Chair
for 1993-1994 and 1998-1999. As Chair, she also automatically served as
one of the three members of the Broward County Canvassing Board. As
chair, Sue was deeply involved in the 2000 Presidential election recount
that brought national attention to Broward County. In 2010 she was
elected to serve as Vice Mayor of Broward County, and she went on to be
elected Mayor of Broward County in 2011.
Commenting on the endorsement Lois Frankel said: “I
am honored that my friend Sue Gunzburger recognized that I am never one
to shy away from a fight. We both know that the best way to get
Washington working for South Florida's families is send someone to
Congress who stands up for what they believe and knows how to get things
done. The support of Commissioner Gunzburger underscores the
significant support that our campaign has in both Broward and Palm Beach
counties.”
Lois Frankel has been endorsed by: Betty Castor, Alex
Sink, Kendrick Meek, Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, incoming Senate
Minority Leader Chris Smith, Palm Beach County District 5 Commissioner
Burt Aaronson, Palm Beach County District 7 Commissioner Priscilla
Taylor, Palm Beach County District 3 Commissioner Shelly Vana, Senate
Minority Whip Maria Sachs, Democratic Pro Tem Joe Gibbons, incoming
House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston, EMILY’s List, Women’s Campaign
Fund, National Organization for Women, WAND, National Women’s Political
Caucus, and Feminist Majority.
Democratic establishment backs Frankel
Submitted by brandt on 7 February 2012 - 10:38pm
Congressional candidate Lois Frankel announced an endorsement from
Better Castor on Tuesday, another sign that much of the Democratic
establishment is backing her campaign.
Frankel got a funding boost from the women’s group Emily’s List and
has been endorsed by prominent Democrats, including former gubernatorial
candidate Alex Sink, former Congressman Kendrick Meek and Senate
Minority Leader Nan Rich,
Frankel, former mayor of West Palm Beach, hopes to win the
Broward/Palm Beach County district abandoned by Congressman Allen West,
who announced plans last week to run in a newly drawn
Republican-friendly district farther north. But first she must compete
with fellow Democrat Patrick Murphy, a well-funded candidate from Fort
Lauderdale.
Castor is a former president of the University of South Florida,
education commissioner and state senator who lost a bid for the U.S.
Senate in 2004. She is the mother of Congresswoman Kathy Castor of
Tampa.
Frankel also has been endorsed by incoming Senate Minority Leader
Chris Smith, Palm Beach County District 5 Commissioner Burt Aaronson,
Palm Beach County District 7 Commissioner Priscilla Taylor and Palm
Beach County District 3 Commissioner Shelly Vana.
Politico: Betty Castor for Lois Frankel
Submitted by brandt on 7 February 2012 - 11:27am
Former university president and 2004 Democratic nominee for Senate Betty Castor will endorse Lois Frankel's Florida congressional campaign Tuesday, POLITICO has learned.
It's the first significant get for Frankel since GOP Rep. Allen West announced he would not pursue his own seat for reelection.
In a statement prepared for release later today, Castor says, "The
future of Florida is dependent on our children. I know that Lois will
always be a strong advocate for our children and teachers, that is why I
am proud to support her campaign for Congress."
Frankel has been steadily rolling out the endorsements of notable
Florida Democrats in recent weeks in order to try to create an aura of
inevitability surrounding her primary campaign with Patrick Murphy.
Frankel has racked up endorsements from 2010 gubernatorial nominee
Alex Sink and 2010 Senate nominee Kendrick Meek as well as support from
EMILY's List and the National Organization of Women.
Tampa Bay Times: Alex Sink endorses Lois Frankel for Congress
Submitted by brandt on 1 February 2012 - 11:34am
Former CFO and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink is taking sides in the Democratic primary for the congressional District 22 seat now held by Allen West. She endorsed Lois Frankel over Patrick Murphy:
"Lois Frankel is not only a genuine Democrat who has led
the fight for middle-class families and Florida's children, she has a
tremendous record of working with the businesses to create quality jobs
in South Florida. Lois will bring something very different to Congress- a
record of bringing people together to solve problems instead of picking
partisan fights. Her leadership and her credentials as a leader who
gets things done are why I strongly endorse Lois for Congress." Sink said.
Under the category of 2016 gov race intrigue, we'd note that Charlie Crist is supporting Murphy.
I am staying!
Submitted by brandt on 31 January 2012 - 8:14pm
Allen West just announced that he is cutting and running from a fight with me - he is retreating to another district. Mr. West had to see the writing on the wall- after spending his time in Washington practicing his extreme tea-party politics, he lost touch with our district’s values.
Let
me tell you one thing: I am staying right here in the 22nd
Congressional district. I am proud of my record for fighting for the
children, seniors, and working families of South Florida.
I look forward to continuing to run for the 22nd Congressional district, and I look forward to having your support.
Thanks so much
Lois
Embarrassing
Submitted by brandt on 30 January 2012 - 4:15pm
Liberals should get the hell out of the USA. -- Allen West
This week West sank to a new low. Speaking to a Republican Party dinner in West Palm Beach last Saturday, West said to his rivals:
“Take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.”
The more Allen West opens his mouth, the more we find out what he really thinks. West
acts as if people who disagree with him are somehow not as patriotic as
he thinks he is, West thinks being gay is like choosing a flavor of ice
cream, and he even had the gall to call a fellow member of Congress and
DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schulz “vile,” “disgusting,” and told her
to "act like a lady."
With our fast-approaching Tuesday deadline to
fight back against the millions of dollars in dishonest ads rumored to
be on their way, we need to urgently raise another $10k for our rapid response operation to get the message out NOW.
Can you help us fight back against this kind of
shameful slander? We all know that West doesn’t care about working
families- he only cares about the 1% of Americans West’s Tea Party
allies have been defending for far too long.
Your support will help us build a sophisticated
rapid response against an onslaught of SuperPAC attack ads. Together, we can beat back these shadow groups and make sure the people always have the last word.
Thanks for all that you do!
Democratic Leaders: Frankel Best Suited to Create Jobs and Get Florida's Economy Moving Again Endorse Frankel in Race against Allen West
Submitted by brandt on 23 January 2012 - 1:44pm
West Palm Beach – Leaders of the Florida State Legislature today said Lois Frankel was best suited to beat Tea Party Congressman Allen West and bring jobs and economic development to South Florida. Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, incoming Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith and Senate Minority Whip Maria Sachs were joined by Democratic Pro Temp Joe Gibbons and incoming House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston in endorsing Lois Frankel for Congress. All members of the group endorsing Lois represent parts of Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
As a former Democratic leader in the legislature, a mayor and a
progressive champion, Lois has a long track record of fighting for
Florida's middle class, seniors, children and our must vulnerable
citizens.
"I had the honor of working with Lois in the
legislature, she has always been a tough and effective advocate for
South Florida families," said Chris Smith. "Lois' ability to bring people together to get things done is what we need in Washington to get the economy moving again."
Nan Rich added, "Having had the privilege of serving
with Lois in the Florida State House while she was the Democratic
Minority Leader, I know firsthand the caliber of her leadership and
ability to work hard for Florida families. Lois is the kind of leader we
need fighting for us in Washington."
On the heels of announcing a top 4th quarter fundraising
number and an endorsement from former Congressman Kendrick Meek,
Frankel's campaign has gotten off to a fast start in 2012.
Commenting on the endorsements Frankel said, "its
truly an honor to receive the endorsement of my friends and colleagues
in the Florida Legislature. We share a common goal, and that is to
create better economic opportunity and a better quality of life for the
people of South Florida."
Broward New Times: Lois Frankel Endorsed by Democratic Legislators Ahead of Possible Primary
Submitted by brandt on 23 January 2012 - 12:00am
Democrats Lois Frankel and Patrick Murphy have maintained that they're both hell-bent on defeating Republican Rep. Allen West in this year's election.
On the other hand, it's not 100 percent that they'll both want to run
against West considering the redistricting process, so both Democrats
have been treading very lightly against each other before things become
more settled.
After posting similar fundraising numbers for last
quarter -- both being drowned by West's fundraising -- Frankel has
started to announce some endorsements from local Democrats.
The Frankel campaign announced that Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich,
incoming Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, Senate Minority Whip Maria
Sachs, Democratic Pro Temp Joe Gibbons, and incoming House Democratic
Leader Perry Thurston are officially endorsing her as being "best suited
to beat Tea Party Congressman Allen West and bring jobs and economic
development to South Florida."
Last week, former Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek also gave his endorsement to Frankel.
These
endorsements aren't exactly surprising, considering Frankel's been in
the Broward/Palm Beach political circles for quite some time now, but
it's still interesting seeing as it's not exactly clear who's running
against whom quite yet.
Then there's the other side of the coin,
where the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced last
week which candidates it will be supporting or which races it will be
targeting.
The DCCC didn't give its endorsement to either Frankel or Murphy, instead opting to target West's congressional seat.
The
Murphy campaign hasn't exactly announced endorsements but noted last
week that the campaign has received contributions from former Rep.
Robert Wexler, former Broward Mayor Ken Keechl, philanthropists Jeff and
Yolanda Berkowitz, former gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride, and
former Wilton Manors Mayor Jim Stork.
Still, it's unclear what's
going to happen between the two candidates -- and even West -- before
some maps are finalized and decisions are made on which districts to run
in.
Kendrick Meek Endorses Lois Frankel for Congress
Submitted by brandt on 19 January 2012 - 12:30pm
West Palm Beach, FL – Kendrick Meek announced his support of Florida 22nd district Congressional candidate Lois Frankel on Thursday.
“Lois Frankel has been my friend for more than a decade going back
to when we served side by side in the state legislature. I know of no
better person to take on Allen West and replace his extreme
obstructionism with a proven leader who can get things done.” Meek said.
Meek represented the Florida 17th district from 2003 to 2011. He was the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee in 2010.
“I am grateful for Kendrick Meek's support. He understands the
need in South Florida for the creation of good paying jobs and economic
development.” Frankel said. “Kendrick knows that I am the right candidate to take on the challenge facing Allen West for the voters of South Florida.”
Lois has built a track record that no other candidate in the race can
match. No one has fought harder to protect Florida’s seniors, children
and our most vulnerable citizens. She is a true and strong voice for
hard working and middle class Americans, she brings a stellar record of
bringing new economic vitality to the region.