Jesse Scheckner
Jay Shooster’s campaign to represent Palm Beach County in the Florida House is picking up steam.
Five elected Democratic officials have thrown their support behind Shooster, a consumer protection lawyer who last week filed to challenge freshman Republican state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman in House District 91 next year.
His new backers include U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, state Sens. Lori Berman and Tina Polsky, and state Reps. Joe Casello and Kelly Skidmore.
In a statement accompanying her endorsement Wednesday, Berman cited Shooster’s “exceptional legal accomplishments and unwavering commitment” to the community. Shooster’s work as a lawyer has seen him fight misleading marketing claims and champion environmental, animal welfare and labor rights causes.
He is now an Artificial Intelligence Fellow at the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University, where he has advocated for responsible AI regulation and implementation, according to his campaign.
“I am particularly impressed with his collaboration with Moms Demand Action and his steadfast dedication to curbing gun violence in our schools,” Berman said.
Added Polsky, “Jay has an outstanding track record as a tenacious advocate for justice. His voice is needed now more than ever, as our fundamental rights face mounting threats in Tallahassee.”
Shooster said he’s “excited” to receive nods from the quintet, whom he described as “dedicated elected leaders.”
“Together, we share a vision for pushing back against extremism in Tallahassee,” he said. “I eagerly anticipate collaborating with them to champion the interest of the people of Palm Beach County.”
HD 91, which encompasses Boca Raton and Highland Beach in Palm Beach County, is something of a toss-up district. President Joe Biden won there by 4.5 percentage points in 2020. Two years later, voters chose Gov. Ron DeSantis over Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by a 9-point margin, according to elections data analyst Matt Isbell of MCI Maps.
Gossett-Seidman, a twice-elected Highland Beach Town Commissioner, defeated twice-elected Boca Raton Council member Andy Thomson, a Democrat, in November to flip the seat red.
Their contest was the most expensive legislative General Election race in Palm Beach, kicked off when Democratic state Rep. Emily Slosberg-King announced she was retiring.
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Anne Geggis of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
