Congressional District 22 Democratic Primary – Lois Frankel
What once loomed as a high-profile challenge to a tea party favorite, Republican rock star incumbent is now a spirited primary contest between two high-profile, local Democrats.
That’s because U.S. Rep. Allen West took his campaign to a north Palm Beach seat, leaving former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel and Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs to duke it out for the chance to face a Republican opponent in the redrawn District 22nd seat.
Both Frankel and Jacobs are eminently qualified to serve in Congress. The pair share similar views on most issues, and neither can claim the title of “shrinking violet.”
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, though, gives the nod to Frankel and urges Democratic Party voters to choose her as the nominee.
Frankel, 64, is the more experienced of the two Democrats. She can throw sharp political elbows, but her reputation as a divisive partisan is overblown. In the Florida Legislature, Frankel worked with her Republican colleagues to pass legislation that benefited her constituency, including a major HIV/AIDS initiative and child care and women’s health care bills. Her tenure as West Palm Beach mayor was even more impressive. She showed her administrative chops and worked with the city’s business interests in overseeing a renaissance of the city’s downtown and the nearby Northwood community.
Frankel’s opponent in the Aug. 14 primary is Jacobs, 52, a three-term county commissioner from Pompano Beach. Jacobs has made a name for herself by advocating environmentally friendly land-use and transportation policies. She is particularly passionate about water and coastline issues. She has her own accomplishments to list, certainly, but Frankel’s more varied public service experience gives her the edge in this race.
