Ryan Nicol
Democratic candidate Hillary Cassel has collected four more endorsements in her bid for House District 99, as a group of South Florida mayors say they’ll back her in the three-way Democratic Primary.
Oakland Park Mayor Jane Bolin, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis all say they’ll support Cassel’s bid. A fourth local official, Coconut Creek Vice Mayor Joshua Rydell, is also endorsing Cassel. Rydell is the former Mayor of Coconut Creek.
“Fort Lauderdale and Broward County need Hillary fighting for us in the state House,” Trantalis said.
“Since starting her career here in Broward County, Hillary has advocated for working families and additional access to mental health care. She will be a great representative for our city and county in Tallahassee.”
Added Bolin, “With women’s rights under attack nationwide, including in our own state Capitol, it is now more important than ever that we have Hillary fighting for us in Tallahassee. She will be a strong advocate for the defense of reproductive rights against unprecedented efforts to strip them from us.”
HD 99 covers portions of Broward County including Southwest Ranches, Cooper City, Dania Beach and Davie. It covers a small slice of Fort Lauderdale, led Trantalis, though the other three officials all serve cities outside HD 99’s boundaries.
Cassel, a lawyer, is competing for the Democratic nomination against Barry Faske and Jeremy Katzman. Faske is a member of the Florida Green Building Coalition’s board of directors. Katzman works as an administrator at Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division.
Cassel has led the race in fundraising. She’s also pulled in a series of endorsements from current Senate and House lawmakers. Now, Cassel is adding several local leaders to the list of officials backing her bid.
“Nobody knows the needs of constituents better than the local elected officials who work on quality-of-life issues in their communities every day,” Cassel said.
“I’m honored to have the support of Mayor Bolin, Mayor Gelber, Vice Mayor Rydell and Mayor Trantalis. In Tallahassee, I look forward to being a strong partner to local elected officials.”
House Democratic Co-Leader Evan Jenne is the incumbent in HD 99. He’s barred from running for the seat again in 2022 due to term limits.
