Republicans are poised to take control of the U.S. Senate in 2022 as Americans continue to reject the foreign and domestic policies that congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden have put forward since taking control of the U.S. Congress and White House in 2020.
Florida’s 23 Congressional District is considered a safe Democratic seat (but it's only D+5), but after Rep. Ted Deutch decided to retire earlier this year, Republicans have been galvanized and see the vacancy as an opportunity to win a seat that was last held by Republican former Rep. Clay Shaw.
Attorney James Pruden, who won the Republican congressional nomination in 2020 and eventually faced off with Rep. Deutch (pictured), looks to add to the gains his campaign made in the last election cycle.
Pruden lost to Deutch by 17 percentage points, but with Deutch deciding to call it quits this year, Pruden believes his chances of winning the Democratic seat have significantly increased.
Pruden has become the only candidate in the Republican primary race to qualify to be on the ballot by way of petition.
Qualifying by petition to be on any ballot is significant and speaks to a candidate's popularity and name recognition throughout the district he or she is running in.
“The success of our Petition drive was no surprise as we confirmed during the signature-gathering process that I continue to maintain strong community support which was originally garnered during the 2020 election,” said Pruden in a statement.
The Trump Effect
While Pruden says that he has “the most extensive America First platform” of any of the other candidates in the race, Palm Beach Republican State Committeeman and Trump 45 Club founder Joe Budd has signaled that he will run against Pruden, and is bringing his America First bona fides with him.
Budd, who ran in a Republican congressional primary race to defeat Rep. Deutch about 10 years ago, appears poised to use his club as a launching pad for his candidacy.
Trump candidates have been winning primary races around the country, and it’s a smart play by Budd to take advantage of his Trump-centric club to try to win the Republican nomination in this race.
Budd is going after the Trump endorsement, as he should, but would the former President’s support win him the race?
Maybe, but it’s not a guarantee.
But just as Budd jumped into the race, Pruden took a shot at the Trump 45 founder, saying that Budd “lacked the confidence to run in this District until the retiring Ted Deutch announced he would not seek re-election.”
Back in September 2021, Budd was asked by Real Clear Politics for his thoughts on a potential DeSantis vs. Trump presidential primary contest.
RCP: Do you think Trump and DeSantis might clash for the GOP nomination in 2024.
Budd: No. I personally don’t think the President will run again. I believe the President will be satisfied with his role as kingmaker and throw his full support behind Governor DeSantis. DeSantis would have had a very hard time defeating Adam Putnam [in the gubernatorial primary]. The polls completely flipped in DeSantis’s favor when the endorsement came out. President Trump knows by experience who the swamp people
are, and he knows Governor DeSantis isn’t one of them. The President can rest comfortably knowing DeSantis will fully represent the Trump agenda.”
Pruden pounced on Budd’s remarks, telling RCP that “given Joe Bud’s ill-conceived statements in the Politico interview, I am not convinced of his purported devotion for President Trump as well as his apparent preconceived notion of obtaining a primary election endorsement to bolster his campaign.”
A head-to-head contest between Budd and Pruden could be highly contentious, but the clear advantage could be given to Pruden because of his high name recognition throughout the district.
But Budd also has high name recognition in parts of the district after being on the ballot for state committeeman.
Budd could pull the Trump endorsement, but his club’s membership is considerably older and a large swath of his supporters appears to live north of Florida’s 22nd District.
But besides both men’s advantages in this race, like all congressional races, it will all boil down to how much money is available to run an effective campaign.
Pruden is self-funding his race again, and Budd could do the same when he officially announces.
The Floridian spoke to Budd this week where the popular long-time Republican said that when he officially announces his congressional campaign, this run for Congress will be different than his 2010 congressional candidacy.
“This time its different, I will win this race,” said Budd, who added that because the “Demographics are different,” he has a clear path to victory.
Budd also said that he will be able to raise money but knows that he will also have to inject his own cash into the race, adding that he expects the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to get involved in the race after the primary election.
“I will be able to raise money, and we will have a very strong showing,” added Budd.
Budd, who says he is dialed into President Trump, said that he will have a big announcement about his candidacy next week.
Steve Chess and Darlene Swaffar are also filed to run in Florida’s 23rd District.
Former Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz is considered the Democratic frontrunner in his primary race by having raised well over $700K and having garnered significant statewide endorsements.
Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Ben Sorensen is also running in the Democratic congressional primary race.
