Anne Geggis
A Republican Primary contest in a Democratic-leaning Palm Beach County House District is pitting a Highland Town Commission member against a political novice.
The redistricting process shuffled the boundaries of House District 91 slightly, so it encompasses Boca Raton, along with parts of Highland Beach and West Boca.
Election data analysis shows the district became more conservative. Matt Isbell of MCI Maps shows that the district went for President Joe Biden by 4.5 points in 2020. Now, Republicans Christina DuCasse and Peggy Gossett-Seidman are hoping to ride a red wave this cycle to overcome that slight blue advantage.
The winner of the Primary will face Democrat and Boca Raton City Councilman Andy Thomson in the November contest for the seat.
Gossett-Seidman was elected to the Highland Town Commission in 2018 and most of her online campaign material draws a contrast to her Democratic opponent, Thomson.
Meanwhile, DuCasse is presenting herself as an “America First” candidate, retweeting election controversies.
Both candidates have high praise for Gov. Ron DeSantis, but the two campaigns have markedly different points of emphasis.
Gossett-Seidman’s campaign materials don’t mention DuCasse and take aim at Thomson chiefly, as “another woke liberal in hiding,” but most of her focus is on being fiscally conservative, while improving infrastructure, protecting natural resources and supporting law enforcement.
“I’m a fiscal conservative, focused on common-sense solutions to everyday problems,” she says in a video posted on her site.
Gossett-Seidman doesn’t mention election security on her website, but DuCasse says, “I’ll fight to ensure election integrity.” Other statements from DuCasse tread into culture-war territory. She says that she’ll make sure that schools “educate, not indoctrinate,” and are kept free of “CRT” which stands for “critical race theory.” Palm Beach County school officials say it’s not being taught.
Her approach has echoes of a more conservative side of the Republican Party, compared to her Primary opponent.
“We need to take our Constitutional Republic back the way our Founding Fathers intended it to be — a government of the people by the people and for the people,” she says on a video posted to her site.
Gossett-Seidman is the clear leader in the money race, with a lopsided advantage over her Primary rival. She’s also drawing support from the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee. She raised $67,685 and added $200,000 of her own money in loans through the whole election cycle.
Nearly $40,000 of the $50,000 that Gossett-Seidman spent from July 2 to Aug. 5 has been with Sim Wins in Tampa. Reports show that $31,000 of that paid for mailers.
DuCasse, meanwhile, raised $10,000 from donors and gave her campaign a $1,268 loan. While Gossett-Seidman’s spending has been in the tens of thousands since July 2, DuCasse’s spending hit $915 in the same period.
