Boca Raton Democrat starts 2024 bid to unseat Republican with $378,000 in campaign cash

A Boca Raton Democrat running for the Florida House ended last year with $378,000 in campaign cash for his bid to win a toss-up seat now held by a Republican.

Jay Shooster, a consumer protection attorney, accumulated the funds via two channels, his campaign account and through his political action committee, Future Leaders Florida. His campaign finance reports as of Dec. 31 listed about $154,000 in his campaign fund and about $260,000 in the PAC, all of which were contributed through personal checks by individuals as opposed to monies donated by a special interest group or advocacy organization.

"It shows the strength of the campaign and there's a real demand for change in the Legislature in Florida," Shooster said.

Shooster is aiming to defeat incumbent state Rep. Peggy Gossett Seidman in state House District 91, which is located in southern Palm Beach County.

Gossett-Seidman is completing her first term in the Legislature after winning the seat in the November 2022 elections. Prior to Gossett-Seidman flipping it red, the district had been a safe Democratic seat that had been occupied by former state Rep. Emily Slosberg-King, who did not seek re-election.

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Most of the top-dollar giving went into Shooster's PAC, with the highest donation — $20,000 — coming from a Brooklyn nurse practitioner named Sabina Makhdomi.

Shooster's campaign has focused on abortion rights, gun violence prevention and property insurance issues. He said his campaign has attracted money from within Florida and out of state from individuals opposed to the "extremism in Florida," referencing GOP policies such as the six-week abortion and a law approved last year allowing people in Florida to carry concealed firearms without needing a state permit.

Both laws drew national attention and criticism from Democrats and others outside the state.

"This was ground zero for extremism," Shooster said. "There's a lot of folks who are interested in nipping it in the bud here."

Gossett-Seidman raised $40,500 last year and has spent about $3,000. Most of Gossett-Seidman's donations came from organizations, including NextEra Energy, the parent of Florida Power & Light, and the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

What's special about House District 91?

In 2022, Gossett-Seidman defeated Democratic opponent Andy Thomson by capturing 52% of the votes. Although Democrats had a sizable voter registration edge at that time in Palm Beach County, she won during an election year of notable GOP wins statewide and locally. That included Gov. Ron DeSantis' own re-election win in Palm Beach County with 51.2% of the votes.

Though the seat was long held by Democrats, redistricting made it more attainable for Republicans. Originally, the district included central and western areas of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. Now, it encompasses Boca Raton and Highland Beach.

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Gossett-Seidman is currently engaged in the 2024 session of the Florida Legislature, which kicked off Jan. 9, and where she is sponsoring a bill to better inform the public about water quality issues, among other measures.

In terms of her voting record, Gossett-Seidman has generally voted along party lines, except for joining the Democratic minority and several other Palm Beach County Republicans in voting against the six-week abortion ban last year.

When asked why she voted against the bill, Gossett-Seidman said it wasn't the "right vote," and that she was more focused on other issues like clean water and taxes.

6-week abortion bill: 'The right vote': Three Palm Beach County Republicans vote against six-week abortion ban

Shooster, on the other hand, is heavily campaigning on reproductive rights, and said he believes that abortion will be a motivating factor to bring people to vote in the election.

A good omen for Shooster, possibly, was the Jan. 16 win by Orlando Democrat Tom Keen in a special election.

Keen, from Lake Nona, flipped a Republican state House seat. Keen had largely focused on abortion rights and property insurance for his campaign, and Shooster said the win for Democrats showed progress.

Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at smatat@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton Democrat aiming to win Florida House seat has raised $378,000