Sun-Sentinel: Re-elect Debbie Wasserman Schultz to the 20th Congressional District

 

If a huge Republican wave hits Congress in the Nov. 2 election, it would be a big upset if Debbie Wasserman Schultz was one of the victims.

Always one of the biggest vote-getters and campaign money-makers in Broward, the Weston legislator is the Editorial Board’s choice to return to Washington for a fourth term from District 20, which includes all or part of 16 Broward cities along with parts of 13 Miami-Dade communities. Nonetheless, she has drawn one of the most impressive newcomers to emerge this polityical season, Republican Karen Harrington.

Unlike many Congressional Democrats, Wasserman Schultz is embracing the Obama administration’s record rather than running from it. She touts the accomplishments in health care, in staving off a possible economic depression, and the gains in private sector jobs. Looking ahead, she opposes weakening the embargo on Cuba, and she wants to continue the Bush tax cuts only for individuals earning less than $200,000 a year and couples earning less than $250,000.

Most of her vote-garnering success, she says, is because she reflects the priorities of the people she represents. Along the way, she has become one of the national faces of the Democratic Party while becoming one of the subcommittee chairmen on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. She has also been a long-time advocate for family-friendly issues, sponsoring legislation procted children from Internet predators and also a pool-safety bill requiring anti-entrapment drain covers on new pools and spas.