Lauren Book’s new ad for Senate re-election stars regular voters

Lauren Book is conservatives' 'preferred' candidate for re-election. what's up with that?

Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book’s first ballot challenge has brought a roster of who’s who in Democratic politics rallying to her side, but her closing TV ad stars everyday voters going by first name only.

Her campaign says it plans on spending “six figures” putting the 30-second spot “Our Choice,” on broadcast and cable TV. In it, Black, Hispanic, White and Caribbean American voters are represented.

“For me, the choice is clear,” says Tiffany, explaining that Book’s fight for access to health care and safer neighborhoods convinced her.

The Senate Primary contest between Book and former Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief has become one of the most expensive and most-watched contests. It’s rare for a high-ranking politician like Book to undergo a challenge like this.

The new ad burnishes Book’s track record in the Legislature, which has meant fighting for issues that concern children, families and neighborhoods.

“Lauren Book is a fighter, which is why she has my vote,” explains Marty.

He, like the others in the ad, are real voters who back Book, her campaign says.

Book is new to some voters in the newly drawn district, however, which her challenger has represented in some way either on the Miramar City Commission or the Broward County Commission for 13 years.

Voting is now underway for the Primary that concludes Aug. 23.

Redistricting originally put Book in Senate District 32, a black-performing district, according to Matt Isbell, an election data analyst at MCI Maps.

Staying in Senate District 32 would have put Book in a Primary with newly elected Democratic Sen. Rosalind Osgood. So Book moved to the newly drawn Senate District 35, which sits in the southwest quarter of Broward County and is one of the biggest sources of Democratic voters in the state, according to Isbell.

The new district Book is running in has 60% of her current constituency, her campaign says. For those that don’t know her, a host of state politicians have come out to say Book ought to be returned to the Senate, even Sharief’s former Broward County Commission colleagues, Steve Geller and Nan Rich.

Other notable names endorsing her include Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, who’s running for Congress; Miami Sen. Annette Taddeo, who’s also running for Congress; and Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Otis.

Doris will also be voting for her: “She cares about families like mine and believes in our future.”