Jesse Scheckner
For the second consecutive time, Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel has successfully defended her seat representing Florida’s 22nd Congressional District from Republican challenger Dan Franzese.
With early votes fully tallied, mail-in ballots partially counted and all 384 precincts reporting, Frankel had just under 55% of the vote to win re-election.
She beat Franzese by roughly the same 10-percentage-point margin two years ago, too.
“Thank you, Palm Beach County, for trusting me to represent you for another term,” Frankel wrote on X Tuesday night. “Serving as your voice in Congress is both an honor and a privilege, and I’m ready to keep working on the issues that matter most to our community. Always on your side.”
Franzese, 62, hoped two years’ difference, a stronger campaign this time around and shifting voter dynamics in Palm Beach County would be enough to close the gap. They weren’t.
“While yesterday’s results aren’t what we aimed for, this is not the end,” he wrote on X Wednesday morning. “I’m still here, and I’m still committed to advocating for the values we’ve championed throughout this campaign. I’m so proud of what we built, and I’m grateful for the tireless dedication of everyone who joined us. Your support has been humbling, and it’s given me renewed energy to keep going.”
Frankel, 76, who in 2013 parlayed her record of service in the Florida House and as Mayor of West Palm Beach into a lawmaking career in Washington, sought to repel him once more. She did.
Franzese ran this cycle on a promise to lower taxes, cut “wasteful government spending” and secure America’s borders. Tackling inflation, strengthening Florida’s elections integrity, helping small businesses and safeguarding gun rights were also high on his to-do list. He opposed a national abortion ban.
Frankel agreed with her challenger on protecting Social Security and Medicare and supporting Israel. She also vowed to combat gun violence, safeguard reproductive rights, defend LGBTQ rights and voter access, and continue funding for services to support veterans.
Since winning her seat in 2012, Frankel saw six bills of which she was the primary sponsor pass in the U.S. House. None cleared the Senate.
Through mid-October, she raised and spent about $1.8 million to keep her seat this cycle. She had $598,000 three weeks before Election Day.
Franzese raised and spent about $1.5 million, not counting $2 million he added from his private bank account.
He also notched endorsements from Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Rick Scott, Roger Stone and the Republican Liberty Caucus, among others. He made something of a misstep last year, when his campaign errantly touted a nod from the Boca Raton Republican Club, some of whose members backed him but did not formally endorse him as a group.
Organizations backing Frankel this cycle included Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the National Association of Social Workers, Democratic Majority for Israel, National Organization for Women, Moms Demand Action, Florida AFL-CIO, Sierra Club and Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, among others.
She also carried support from Palm Beach County Commissioners Melissa McKinlay, Maria Sachs and Greg Weiss, and West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James and City Commissioner Christina Lambert.
Franzese’s messaging against Frankel was standard for pro-Trump, anti-Joe Biden campaigns. He laid at the incumbent’s feet so-called “open borders, “defund police” and “reckless spending” policies and called her and Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “birds of a feather” who are “destroying America together.”
Conversely, those perusing Frankel’s social media posts and campaign messaging might have gotten the impression she was running unopposed. She didn’t mention Franzese, who complained that she refused to debate him.
CD 22 covers parts of Palm Beach County, stretching from the Everglades to the coast and encompassing 22 municipalities, including Atlantis, parts of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes, Cloud Lake, Delray Beach, Glen Ridge, Greenacres, Gulf Stream, Hypoluxo, Lake Worth Beach, Lake Worth, Lantana, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Royal Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, Village of Golf, Wellington and West Palm Beach.
The district sided with Joe Biden in the 2020 election by 15 percentage points, according to MCI Maps. Two years later, voters there preferred Democrat Charlie Crist over Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis by 3 points and Democrat Val Demings over Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio by about 7 points.
Franzese in August handily outpaced two Primary foes with 52.5% of the vote Aug. 20, including self-proclaimed “anti-woke education activist” Andrew Gutmann and former JPMorgan executive Deborah Adeimy, to clinch his spot on the Nov. 5. Ballot.
