Broward County Commissioners, Democratic leaders back Lauren Book for re-election

Three Broward County Commissioners and one former state lawmaker have joined a wave of current and past elected officials backing Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book’s re-election bid.

Book’s campaign announced her newest endorsers Monday. They include Broward County Commissioners Steve Geller, Jared Moskowitz and Nan Rich, and former Sen. Perry Thurston.

Geller and Rich are former Senate Democratic Leaders who previously served in the House. Thurston served as Democratic Minority Leader in his final House term before being elected to the Senate.

“Commissioners Geller, Rich and Moskowitz, and Sen. Thurston have decades of experience leading, governing, and advocating for our shared Democratic principles here in Broward County and at our state’s Capitol in Tallahassee,” Book said in a statement. “I am honored to have earned the full support of these incredible Commissioners and former legislators who truly understand what it takes to lead the fight against Republicans in Tallahassee because they have been there on the front lines.

Geller, who first won public office in 1989 and has served as both Broward Mayor and Vice Mayor, said he’s seen Book lead the fight for Democratic values.

“I’ve known Lauren Book for over 20 years, (and she) has always been a leader on issues affecting women and children,” he said. “She has been the most effective leader in the State of Florida in fighting for survivors of sexual assault … and I’ve seen her lead the fight for Democratic values.”

Rich, a past president of the National Council of Jewish Women whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the board of the United States Holocaust Museum, said Book “cares about the needs of real people” in Broward and throughout the state.

“At a time when the Republicans in Tallahassee have been solely focused on divisive, partisan, culture war legislation, the Democrats need fighters like Lauren Book in the Senate to be the voice of families and children who have been left behind,” she said. “We can trust Lauren Book to lead the Democrats in Tallahassee and ensure the needs of our most vulnerable Floridians.”

Thurston cited his experience working alongside Book in the Senate as evidence she is the right choice for western Broward.

“Lauren is a fighter who delivers real results for our community,” he said. “Lauren has expanded Medicaid twice to make sure moms and babies are covered when they need it. She’s brought home funding to care for our seniors and passed many laws to keep our kids safe from sexual predators.”

Thurston added, “The Senate Democrats elected Lauren to be their Leader because they believe in her, and I do too.”

A former state Representative and director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management now running for Congress, Moskowitz said he is proud to support Book.

“Leader Book has proven time and time again that she is a strong voice when it comes to advocating for our children,” he said. “She leads as an advocate against gun violence, and she’s a fighter when it comes to protecting women’s rights.

“Leader Book has been a steadfast champion in the Democratic Senate Caucus, and we need her to continue that leadership.”

Book served in the Senate since April 2016, when she ran unopposed for Senate District 32; she was re-elected in 2018 without opposition.

This year, she faces a Primary challenge in former Broward Commissioner Barbara Sharief, her sole opponent so far in Florida’s newly mapped Senate District 35.

SD 35 covers a portion of Broward south of Interstate 595 and west of Florida’s Turnpike composed of Pembroke Pines, Miramar, and parts of Cooper City, Davie, Fort Lauderdale Southwest Ranches, Sunrise and Weston.