Term-limited SD 35 seat sees 3-way Democratic race

The race to replace term-limited Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book has three Democrats gunning for her seat.

The race sees Rodney Jacobs, lawyer Chad Klitzman and former Broward Mayor Barbara Sharief competing in the Democratic Primary.

Klitzman, a lawyer and the youngest person in the race, entered the contest in October with the aim to “shake things up in Tallahassee.”

Klitzman holds experience in the U.S. Department of Transportation Summer Transportation Internship Programs for Diverse Groups and spent time working at the Federal Aviation Administration and Assistant Chief Counsel’s Office at the Federal Highway Administration. He also interned for the White House Office of Management and Administration during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Klitzman was targeted by a Broward mailer from Progressive Youth PC saying Klitzman deserved to be held accountable for more than $1 million dollars that his former law firm donated to Republican candidates such as Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

Klitzman, in response argued he had no control on where the lawyers of the firm chose to donate their money and labeled the criticisms as antisemitic. That PC also has ties to Jacobs, one of his Democratic Primary opponents.

Sharief was a Broward County Commissioner from 2010 to 2021, serving as Mayor from 2013 to 2014 and 2016 to 2017. Sharief already has experience running for this seat, competing against Book in 2022. Sharief filed a lawsuit against Book during the race, accusing the Senator of falsity, libel, defamation and other accusations. Sharief, despite the 2022 Primary loss to Book, immediately announced her candidacy for 2024.

Sharief also received criticism after her campaign recently handed out SD 35 guides to voters that featured her as the only Democratic candidate in the contest, despite Jacobs and Klitzman also running.

Jacobs entered the SD 35 race in September 2023. He served as the Executive Director of the Miami Civilian Investigative Panel, a police watchdog organization that reviews complaints about police officers, and served as a headquarters company commander in the U.S. Army Reserve with the rank of captain. Jacobs’ campaign marks his first time running for public office, but he has made significant strides in fundraising as the Primary race grows closer.

Through Aug. 15, Jacobs raised more than $99,000 through his campaign account and another $426,500 via his political committee, A New Hope for Tomorrow. That allowed him to spend nearly $523,000 on the contest.

That placed him just behind Sharief, who spent just under $547,000 overall. She added less than $81,000 in outside donations during the race, but poured in nearly $450,000 in loans to her campaign, including $89,000 in the contest’s closing weeks.

But Klitzman was no slouch either. He brought in More than $157,000 in outside donations via his campaign account, and also added in $103,000 of his own money (though he spent very little of that sum). His PC, Future of Broward Inc., collected nearly $214,000 more. He spent just under $349,000 in total through Aug. 15.

In all, candidates have spent nearly $1.34 million spent on this Primary.

The winner of the Democratic Primary will face unopposed Republican candidate Vincent Parlatore. However, the district favors Democrats, as it saw U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings winning the district in 2022, earning 55% of the vote. The area also went in favor of gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, with 53% of votes.

SD 35 spans a large area of Broward, including Cooper City, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Hollywood, Southwest Ranches and Miramar.

The Primary is Tuesday, with the General Election taking place Nov. 5.