At the end of one of the most expensive races in the nation, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz comfortably defeated Republican Scott Singer, the former Boca Raton mayor.
The Associated Press declared Moskowitz the winner at 8:07 p.m. EST.
Moskowitz was the incumbent for Florida's former 23rd Congressional District, which covers most of northern Broward and parts of Boca Raton. About one in four district residents is Jewish. Both candidate are Jewish.
After redistricting, Moskowitz and Singer jumped to Florida's newly created 25th Congressional District, a coastal stretch running from Delray Beach in Palm Beach County to Miami Beach in Miami-Dade County. The new district was expected to favor Republicans.
In a telephone call Tuesday night with reporters, Moskowitz said voters were angry with the redrawing of congressional maps to favor one party over another.
“ I think voters reject gerrymandering. I think what they've seen in Washington, DC for the last two years has disgusted them. I think it's the fact that they're struggling economically and [President Trump] doesn't seem to care,” Moskowitz said.
Non-partisan analysts rated the race a "toss up." The new district tilted more Republican. President Trump won 54-45% in 2024; Democrat Joe Biden won 52-47% in 2020.
Both Democrats and Republicans poured money into the race, each spending nearly $25 million, making it one of the county’s most expensive races. Much of that money was focused on attack ads that aired constantly on TV and streaming services across the district.
In the end it mattered little as Moskowitz jumped out to an early lead and appeared to outperform Singer on his home turf, leading the Palm Beach County section of the district by around 4 percentage points, according to the latest unofficial returns.
“ I think they saw through the lies in all the negative advertising that was done here, and they said, ‘Well, Jared went and worked for Ron DeSantis during COVID and made sure that this state had PPE and testing and vaccines when they needed it.’ ‘You know, Jared's worked across the aisle. We have that in his record,"’ he said.
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Moskowitz said the key to his victory was focusing on the cost of living.
“ This race was about affordability. You know, the American people and the constituents of District 25 feel like this administration is not hearing them on the fact that the American dream is slipping away.”
He also touted his record fighting antisemitism, which was a major issue in the district where 25% of the population is Jewish. Moskowitz also said he expected to serve on a critical committee for Middle Eastern affairs.
“ I'm gonna continue to fight against antisemitism, which is rising all around the country and around the world, and I look forward to becoming chair of MENA, which is the Middle East subcommittee under Foreign Affairs, where I'm now the ranking member,” he said.
