Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has won another term in Congress, this time from a new district. The Associated Press reported through PBS News that she won the race for Florida's 20th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating Republican Brent Andersen. The AP called the race at 7:09 p.m. Eastern time.
The win gives Wasserman Schultz a 12th term in the U.S. House. She switched to a new congressional district for this election, and that move paid off.
Wasserman Schultz is a longtime figure in Democratic politics. She is a former chair of the Democratic National Committee. She was also the first Jewish congresswoman elected from Florida. Before going to Washington, she served in both the Florida House and the Florida Senate.
Her Republican opponent, Andersen, founded a commercial and property insurance company. He argued that background gave him special insight into lowering property insurance costs. That is a growing worry for Florida homeowners, who have faced rising premiums in recent years.
The race was one of many Florida contests on Tuesday's ballot. In the biggest one, Republican Byron Donalds won the governor's race over Democrat David Jolly and will become the state's first Black governor. Florida has about 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, according to NPR, which makes Democratic House wins in the state hard to come by outside a handful of districts.
Across the country, both parties were fighting district by district for control of a closely divided House. Raw 100.5 will keep following results as more races are called.
Sources: PBS News, NPR, The Associated Press