U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel wins sixth term, defeating investment manager Dan Franzese

Editor's note: The Palm Beach Post will be updating this story with results as soon as they come in.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, one of Palm Beach County’s longest-serving politicians, won a sixth term on Tuesday, crushing her Republican challenger Dan Franzese.

With the vast majority of votes tallied, Frankel captured 55% of the vote against Franzese, an investment manager who was making his first bid for public office.

"I’ve been so honored to serve this community and I look forward to going back to Washington to keep fighting for you," she said in a tweet at about 8:40 p.m. "I’m always on your side."

The 74-year-old Frankel, who was elected to Congress in 2012 after serving two terms as West Palm Beach mayor and 14 years in the Florida House, made no mention of Franzese on her website, promoting her sixth run to represent the heavily Democratic U.S. House District 22.

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But, Franzese, who has been active in GOP politics before running for the seat that represents residents in the central part of the county, blasted Frankel as “reckless.” He linked her to Republican boogeywoman, Nancy Pelosi.

Frankel would likely embrace the comparison. The co-chair of the Women’s Democratic Caucus, she has long been an outspoken supporter of abortion rights, gun control and other issues Pelosi has championed.

Franzese, 60, said protecting gun rights and building a wall at the border are among the issues he would back if elected.

Both agree that inflation has to be reined in.

Frankel said she would focus on lowering "kitchen table and housing costs" and ensuring businesses, local governments and residents benefit from Congressional funding for infrastructure and climate change.

Franzese blamed Democrats for rising costs.

“It is all a product of bad economic policy brought to us by President Biden, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and our failed Rep. Lois Frankel,” he said. “We must fight inflation by ramping up domestic energy production, ending government deficit spending, depoliticizing the Federal Reserve, and we must never again pay workers to stay at home.”

Frankel, who calls herself a “working grandmother,” is an attorney and lives in West Palm Beach. Franzese, who received a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, is managing director of the USA subsidiary of the National Bank of Canada Financial Inc. He lives in Palm Beach.

Their endorsements reflected their diametrically opposed views.

Frankel was endorsed by the National Organization for Women, the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, the Sierra Club of Florida and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Franzese won the support from the New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Restore Liberty, the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association and the Republican Liberty Caucus.

Frankel raised $1.8 million through Oct. 19, according to the Federal Election Commission. Of that, $789,000 came from individuals with the rest coming from political committees.

Franzese had $1.1 million in his campaign coffers, including $700,000 from his own pockets.

The position pays $174,000 annually.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Election results: U.S. House District 22 seat in Palm Beach County