A trio of South Florida U.S. Reps. back Terrie Rizzo for Fla. Dem. Chair

Palm Beach County Democrat Terrie Rizzo is receiving the support of three members of the Florida congressional delegation in her bid to become the state’s Democratic Party chair.

Alcee Hastings, Ted Deutch and Lois Frankel — each representing districts that touch part of Palm Beach County — are backing Rizzo, who chairs the Palm Beach Democratic Executive Committee.

Rizzo is running against Hillsborough County State Committeewoman Alma Gonzalez, Brevard County Democratic Executive Committee Chair Stacey Patel, and Monica Russo, the Miami based president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Florida.

Rizzo announced a list of 33 other endorsements from eligible Democrats who will be casting a ballot when the State Executive Committee convenes in Orlando on Dec. 9 to pick a successor to Stephen Bittel, who resigned three weeks ago after a report surfaced that he had acted inappropriately toward women.

There are 1,204 possible votes for state chair, with many of those votes weighted based on population.

After Rizzo sent out a news release earlier this week claiming that she has locked up nearly half the votes needed to win the race, an official with the Gonzalez camp pushed back, questioning that premise and arguing that it’s far too early to predict who is leading in the race.