Ryan Nicol
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg has announced his support for Democrat Lauren Baer in the race for Florida’s 18th Congressional District.
The endorsement is yet another big get for Baer, who has previously been endorsed by former Rep. Patrick Murphy and current Rep. Ted Deutch.
She even picked up a recent celebrity endorsement, earning a shoutout from Rosie O’Donnell.
Baer is one of two Democrats running for the right to compete against incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Mast.
She’s facing off against former U.S. Navy Officer Pam Keith in the Democratic primary. This isn’t Keith’s first run for federal office, as she ran for U.S. Senate in 2016. She lost in the Democratic primary to Murphy, who is now endorsing her CD 18 opponent.
Aronberg spoke highly of Baer in a statement announcing his support.
“Our community is facing many challenges. From the opioid epidemic to threats to our environment, we need a representative in Washington who will seek common sense solutions and actually accomplish them. I am proud to endorse Lauren Baer, who has the experience of bringing people together in these divisive political times.”
Baer is an attorney who previously served as a senior adviser in the Obama administration, working with Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.
Baer and the Democrats feel they can target Mast as part of their efforts to take back the House. Mast was recently elected to the seat in 2016, defeating his Democratic opponent by about 10 percentage points. That’s a decent gap, but one that can be closed if Democrats overperform this November.
Mast was recently passed over for the position of Veterans Affairs Secretary, leaving him free to run for re-election. He faces two challengers in a Republican primary in Dave Cummings and Mark Freeman. But Mast is widely favored to win the Republican nod.
The Florida primary election will be held Aug. 28.
