Ryan Nicol
After winning the Democratic primary in House District 96 Tuesday night, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky is looking like the heavy favorite in November’s General Election.
According to Tuesday’s unofficial results, Hunschofsky defeated her Democratic opponent, Saima Farooqui, 72%-28%. That pits Hunschofsky against write-in candidate Muhammad Amin in the fall.
Hunschofsky was helped by a last-minute endorsement from Stand With Parkland, an organization created by families who lost children and spouses in the 2018 Parkland shooting. Hunschofsky served as Parkland’s Mayor during that attack, in which 17 people died.
“Christine has been a vital and active participant in our community for over 15 years, and has provided exceptional leadership as the Mayor of Parkland through both good times and tragedy,” read a Monday statement from the group.
“Mayor Hunschofsky was a powerful voice in the state capitol advocating for our devastated community in the wake [of the] Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. Christine brought compassion for the victims, a desire for change, and navigated through the state bureaucracies to get help for our area. She was part of the team that helped pass the MSD High School Public Safety Act to help make Florida’s schools safer.”
Hunschofsky was favored over Farooqui Tuesday night. She easily outraised Farooqui throughout the primary.
In late April, Hunschofsky announced she would run for the seat, which was previously held by the late Rep. Kristin Jacobs. Jacobs passed away in April after a years-long battle with cancer.
Hunschofsky will now have a chance to succeed Jacobs in November.
HD 96 encompasses Parkland, where Hunschofsky has served as Mayor since 2016. Before that, she served on the Parkland City Commission.
In 2016, Hunschofsky ran to replace then-Mayor Michael Udine after his eventually successful run for the Broward County Commission. She served out the final two years of Udine’s term, before she was reelected unopposed in 2018.
The district also spans Coconut Creek and parts of Coral Springs and Margate.
