Jesse Scheckner
Meg Weinberger, a Donald Trump-endorsed animal sanctuary executive, is heading to the Legislature after defeating a Democrat ex-Mayor in House District 94.
With early votes fully tallied, mail-in ballots partially counted and all but one of 95 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Weinberger had 55% of the vote to defeat Democrat Rachelle Litt and earn the right to succeed term-limited Republican Rep. Rick Roth in HD 94.
HD 94 spans a western, largely agricultural swath of Palm Beach County. It includes all or part off Belle Glade, Pahokee, Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach, South Bay and Westlake.
Much differentiated the two candidates running to represent the district.
Litt, a 69-year-old pharmacist consultant who served on the Palm Beach Gardens Council from 2017 to 2023, vowed if elected to support legislation that alleviates housing unaffordability, addresses the insurance crisis and protects reproductive rights if Amendment 4 failed.
She also listed expanding access to health care, raising teacher pay and boosting Florida’s medical workforce through trade development programs as priorities
Weinberger, a 51-year-old first-time candidate, runs Rescue Life, a Palm Beach Gardens nonprofit that provides a haven to unwanted and abused animals.
She agreed with Litt that high home insurance rates and affordable housing issues need more attention in the Legislature. But she also prioritized supporting Florida’s agricultural industry, backing the state’s school voucher program and increasing technical and vocational training.
Other goals expressed included cracking down on illegal immigration, prohibiting trans procedures for minors and opposing abortion.
Through Oct. 31, Weinberger raised and spent about $872,000. Much of that went toward defeating three Primary opponents. By then, she had clinched endorsements from Trump, U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz and Gus Bilirakis, former newscaster Kari Lake, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and state Reps. Mike Caruso and Randy Fine.
Real America’s Voice anchor Gina Loudon, who also endorsed Weinbeger, gave her the “MAGA Meg” nickname.
Litt, meanwhile, raised and spent more than $243,000 by Halloween. Her endorsers include U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel; state Sens. Lori Berman and Tina Polsky; state Reps. Tae Edmonds, Kelly Skidmore and Katherine Waldron; and six Palm Beach County School Board members.
SEIU Florida, 3.14 Action Fund, Palm Beach Gardens Firefighters Local 5470 and the Palm Beach County chapter of the Classroom Teachers Association are also backing her.
Weinberger’s organizational supporters include the Florida Fraternal Order of Police, Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, Business Political Action Committee of Palm Beach County and Born to Ride for 45.
As Election Day approached, Weinberger went increasingly on the attack against Litt, whom she labeled as “Radical Rachel in a post to X that featured a video detailing how three illegal immigrants were recently arrested in Palm Beach County for lewd and lascivious behavior on a minor under 12. Litt, she said, “thinks the wide open southern border doesn’t affect Florida.”
Litt’s campaign platform includes no mention of illegal immigration, for or against, as the issue is typically handled at the federal level.
President Joe Biden won HD 94 by an extremely narrow margin (0.08 percentage points) in 2020. Two years later, Gov. Ron DeSantis crushed Democrat Charlie Crist there by more than 15 points, according to MCI Maps.
As of early last month, Republicans in the district had a 2,924-voter advantage in HD 94, or roughly a 3-percentage-point lead over Democrats, data from the Florida Division of Election shows.
