Anne Geggis
Sen. Lauren Book has only recently arrived in a new district she’s aiming to represent in the Senate, so a six-figure ad buy is moving her into South Florida living rooms.
The Senate Democratic leader, first elected a state lawmaker in 2016, has never faced an opponent on the ballot in her bid for office, but the quirks of the decennial redistricting process put her in a ticklish spot.
She either had to face incumbent Sen. Rosalind Osgood, who was first elected in March to represent Senate District 32, or move from her Plantation home. Book opted to move to Senate District 35, but now she’s got a Democratic Primary competitor in former Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief.
Sharief has represented the area covered by the newly drawn district for the past 13 years, either on the Miramar City Commission or the Broward County Commission.
The ad, now running in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale TV market and on streaming platforms such as Hulu, makes no mention of Sharief, or anything specific about her South Broward district. Instead, the 30-second ad titled “Mom” stars her 5-year-old girl-and-boy twins, Kennedy and Hudson. Kennedy calls out, “Mommy!” and Hudson says, “Lauren Book!”
Wearing a plaid shirt and casual pants, Book confirms that’s her. “Proud Mom and honored to serve as your state Senator fighting for Broward families,” she announces in what appears to be her kitchen.
The ad shows a quick sampling of videos of Book at work in the Legislature and meeting with everyday people.
“This past year, I led Senate Democrats in the fight to protect women’s rights and address the affordability crisis,” Book says.
The ad doesn’t mention how lawmakers passed the most restrictive limitation on abortions since the right was granted in Roe v. Wade, and the Legislature’s failure to address housing affordability.
“Join me as we fight against extremism,” Book says, with “extremism” flashing in front of a shot of Gov. Ron DeSantis. “And protect our rights in Florida.”
The news release about the ad buy highlights Book’s “rising Democratic star” bona fides and how Book traveled to Tallahassee just two weeks after the twins’ birth to take her place in the Legislature to fight for Democratic priorities.
Book was unanimously chosen to be the Democratic Senate Leader in 2021 and has broken records raising money for her Democratic colleagues.
Earlier this week, the campaign announced endorsements from four Broward Democratic elected leaders: Broward County Commissioners Steve Geller, Nan Rich, and Jared Moskowitz, and former Senator Perry Thurston. Geller, Rich, and Thurston also formerly served as Senate Democratic Leaders, the news release notes.
The new SD 35, which had no active incumbent until Book moved there, covers a chunk of unincorporated Broward County south of Interstate 595 and west of Florida’s Turnpike. Pembroke Pines and Miramar account for most of it but it also includes all or parts of Cooper City, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Southwest Ranches, Sunrise and Weston.
One comment
Alfred
May 5, 2022 at 7:16 am
Look at her voting record .. it’s deplorable. She voted in favor of a number of republicans bills. Book has given 66k to to republicans. She is not a democrat! The district she is running in is 66 percent minority district black and Hispanic. She does not live in district. She made a trade off with another rich fake democrat Pizzo. Taken money from private prisons , votes against restoring felon right to vote . She is going to lose this race !!!! When the hits start coming out on her voting record… Never had to run in a race.Also it should be known she had the opportunity to add incest and rape to the abortion bill by a show of hands and 8 republicans would have supported amending the bill. Instead she moved on and let the bill move forward. Now she wants us to believe she has woman’s backs . She is a Democratic fraud!!!
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