People in Florida would be better off if they had more elected leaders like Rep. Kelly Skidmore.
The feisty Democrat from Boca Raton has the experience, skills and temperament to stand by her principles and work effectively with Republicans in a chamber where the GOP holds nearly two-thirds of 120 seats.
Skidmore, 59, chief executive of the Palm Beach County Medical Society, is running for a redrawn District 92, which includes some of her current constituents in District 81. The new district includes westernmost areas of suburban Boca and areas west of Florida’s Turnpike north to Hypoluxo Road.
Her Democratic primary opponent, Hasan Zahangir, 59, of Boynton Beach, owns Yogurt on Yamato, a yogurt and ice cream franchise. Asked why voters should elect a rookie over an accomplished veteran, Zahangir offers platitudes such as that he represents “a fresh start.”
He faults Skidmore for not being better known and claims “many people” in his West Boynton Beach neighborhood do not know her. That could be because she hasn’t represented them. Zahangir said the same thing about Rep. Joe Casello, another Democrat whom he considered challenging.
Skidmore points out that because of term limits and retirements, only a handful of Democrats who might return to the House would have more than four years of legislative experience in 2023. Term limits have drained the Legislature of institutional knowledge and shifted too much power to staffers and lobbyists.
Skidmore has a decade of experience as a legislative aide in addition to six years in the House. We cited Skidmore’s experience in an endorsement editorial two years ago, and Democrats need that longevity more than ever.
“It’s very difficult to learn the process,” Skidmore said in a Sun Sentinel Editorial Board candidate interview. Knowing the process and forming relationships, Skidmore said, allowed her to secure $1.7 million over two years to help poor areas of the Glades in her current district.
Skidmore’s aspirations, like those of her fellow Democrats, include expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, protecting reproductive rights after the end of Roe v. Wade, strengthening the state’s red-flag law and keeping more firearms away from potentially dangerous people.
In the gerrymandered right-wing House, however, Democrats must have realistic goals. Those include bringing money home to the district and stripping out the worst elements of bad legislation. Skidmore does that, and much more, with professionalism, a positive spirit and tenacious work ethic.
If Gov. Ron DeSantis wins a second term and runs for president, the House likely will fast-track as many bad ideas as the governor believes will help his presidential campaign, such as a total ban on abortion and open carrying of a gun without a permit. If that happens, Democrats will need legislators who thoroughly know how Tallahassee works and will fight Republicans over their imagined grievances.
The Sun Sentinel recommends Rep. Kelly Skidmore in the Democratic primary for House District 92.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its staff members. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.
