Lois Frankel is continuing her third act on the political stage as a member of Congress with a bigger profile than most second term members in the minority party.
Now 67, Frankel has been a player in Florida politics for almost three decades now. First elected to the Florida House in 1986, Frankel served 14 years in there which was interrupted by an unsuccessful congressional bid in 1992 when she lost to Alcee Hastings in the primary. Frankel ended up in the leadership twice, as majority whip and, in her second stint, as minority leader.
Frankel stumbled again when she sought higher office when she made an unimpressive gubernatorial bid back in the 2002 election cycle but she rebounded nicely in 2003 when she was elected mayor of West Palm Beach, serving eight years in that post.
In 2012, Frankel launched her third act when she beat out Adam Hasner to win a congressional seat. Since then, Frankel has risen quickly through the Democratic ranks in Congress. In 2014, while she was finishing her first term, Frankel was in the mix to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), a very high honor for any freshman member of Congress. While Frankel didn’t end up in charge of the DCCC, she helped lead its “Red to Blue” program targeting GOP incumbents and also is the vice chairwoman of the Women’s Caucus.
Despite her past gubernatorial bid, Frankel is rarely mentioned as a candidate for higher office. She appears pretty well positioned to keep her current seat and keep moving up the ladder.
Still, Frankel remains active for Florida Democrats. This week she went to bat for Patrick Murphy as he continues his Senate bid. Frankel has had no hesitation in launching volleys at Republicans in Tallahassee on everything ranging from abortion to immigration.
Frankel goes left on most issues but, like her fellow South Florida Democrat Ted Deutch, she is a major supporter of Israel. Earlier this week, Frankel led the charge on Capitol Hill to send more funds to protect Israel from terrorist attacks from tunnels, including those in Gaza.
While 2014 was a good year for Republicans, Frankel had no problem dispatching businessman Paul Spain when he challenged her in that election cycle. Spain is back though he has to take on Carlos Fernandez and Sean Standard in the Republican primary. Activist Mike Trout is making a third bid for Congress with no party affiliation. While her district was altered by redistricting, Frankel starts as a heavy favorite in this area where Democrats usually have no problems in November.
Regardless of how strong she is at home, Frankel doesn’t look a statewide candidate for Democrats anytime soon though her support in a primary should never be underestimated. Nor should Frankel’s continued rise in Washington. If Democrats run the table and actually flip the House in November--unlikely to be sure--Frankel could be set for an even larger role.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @ KevinDerbySSN
