U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., has a new Republican opponent but the Florida Democrat is targeting other members of the GOP.
Earlier this month, Joseph JB Bensmihen, the president and CEO of Boca Home Care Services, kicked off his campaign for the Republican nomination to challenge Frankel. Bensmihen was briefly a candidate for the Republican nod to challenge Florida Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, entering the race in June of 2014, but ended his bid a month later.
Saying he would be a voice of moderation and reason," Bensmihen looked to claim the political center as he kicked off his campaign.
I am running for Congress for four reasons; first, because the people of the 22nd District have no voice in the U.S. House right now, Bensmihen said in his campaign launch. If elected I will be a voice of moderation and reason, a voice for the people of this district and, importantly, I will be in the majority where I will be in a position of leadership to get things done.
Bensmihen contrasted his record in the private sector to Frankels experience and insisted she helped steal funds from seniors to pay for President Barack Obamas federal health-care law.
Ive been very successful in the home health care business, Bensmihen said. Its a business that I love very much because I can help people and learn from the wisdom of my clients. I pledge this to the seniors of the 22nd District and their families: If you elect me to Congress, I will be your most vocal and fierce supporter. Too often politicians in Washington, including our current congresswoman, literally steal funds from seniors to pay for their mistakes such as they did with Obamacare.
The new candidate also hit Frankel for not supporting Israel enough. Bensmihen also noted his own disability and said it would help him bring new perspectives to Congress.
I have a physical disability, but its not one that impedes me, Bensmihen said. I want to be a voice in Congress for those with disabilities as well as the thousands of seniors and the less fortunate in the community. For too long youve been without a strong voice in Washington and with your vote, I will be that voice. These are the reasons Im announcing today that I am running for Congress.
First elected to Congress in 2012, when she beat former Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner by around 9.5 percent for an open seat, Frankel has been moving up the ranks with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and vice chairing the Womens Caucus. The South Florida district, which contains parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, is generally considered a solidly Democratic one. In 2014, Frankel beat Republican Paul Spain by 16 percent.
Frankel looked to rally liberals in her district over the weekend by coming out swinging at Republicans in the Florida Legislature for passing a bill requiring that a woman wait 24 hours before having an abortion performed.
Anti-choice legislators in Florida, Washington, and across the country want to take us back to the 1950s, Frankel insisted on Saturday. We will not go back! We must protect a womans constitutional right to make her own health care decisions.
Restrictions like a 24-hour waiting period are unnecessary, extreme measures that do not significantly advance womens health or the safety of abortion services. Instead, they aim to make abortion services more difficult to access, Frankel added before showcasing her own legislation. That is why I introduced legislation that will allow all women, no matter where they live or travel in our great country, the right and ability to have access to the tools and information they need to make their most important life-changing decisions.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
