[ad_1]
MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Ted Deutch, who has served in Congress since 2011, will not run for re-election this year and will resign his House seat before the end of his term so he can take a leadership position with a major Jewish American advocacy group, CBS Miami has learned.
A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.
READ MORE: Florida Lottery Makes History With New Scratch-Off Game Offering $25M Prize
The decision by Deutch, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, will come as a surprise to many and could set off a scramble among Democrats to replace him. A popular and affable leader in the House, Deutch easily won his last three elections with 60 percent of the vote.
Following the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in 2018, Deutch, whose district includes the school, became a national figure advocating for tougher gun regulations. A frequent critic of the National Rifle Association he recently celebrated the NRA’s financial distress, noting “the NRA has gone from being morally bankrupt to being financially bankrupt.”
In Congress, Deutch serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and is chairman of the House Ethics Committee. Deutch is also the co-chair of the Bipartisan Anti-Semitism Task Force.
Deutch is leaving Congress to assume a senior leadership position with the American Jewish Committee, sources tell CBS Miami.
According to its website, the American Jewish Committee “is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization. From city halls to Capitol Hill, at the UN and in world capitals, AJC works to impact policy and opinion on some of the most important issues facing the Jewish people.”
In recent years the group has focused attention on the rise of antisemitism around the world. The group touts offices throughout the United States as well as Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Israel.
READ MORE: Target Increasing Minimum Wage Up To $24 An Hour In Its Most Competitive Markets
The timing is not clear of when he will resign from Congress to join the AJC.
With Democrats likely to lose control of Congress in November, the 55-year-old Deutch becomes the 31st Democrat to give up their House seat this year.
Depending on the timing of when he formally resigns, his departure will leave House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a razor thin majority in the House.
The race to replace Deutch in Congressional District 22 could be a bruising battle. The district currently runs from Fort Lauderdale up the coast to Boca Raton and goes as far west as Coral Springs. The new Congressional maps have not been finalized by the Legislature, but the district is still expected to favor Democrats.
The list of possible Democratic candidates to replace Deutch includes former State Representative Jared Moscowitz, who most recently served as the state’s emergency management director; Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis; state senators Gary Farmer and Tina Polsky, whose districts overlap with different portions of Deutch’s seat; and Broward County Commissioner Mark Bogen, who represents north Broward.
Confident they will take back the House this election cycle, Republicans might test just how big a year they could have by seriously challenging the Democrats for the open seat.
MORE NEWS: Cuban Migrants In Federal Custody After Making Landfall In Key West
The qualifying period for candidates to announce they are entering the race ends June 17. The primary is August 23, and the general election is November 8.
[ad_2]
Source link
