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BY BUDDY NEVINS

Even Covid-19 can’t stop politics.

Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky announced today she is running for the the state House.

Hunschofsky wants the north Broward seat previous held by the late state Rep. Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek, who died on April 11.

Mayor of Parkland since 2016, Hunschofsky reportedly has had her eye on the seat for sometime.

Christine Hunschofsky

The campaign this year will be different from 2014 when Jacobs first won the seat.

Jacobs was running against a much lesser-known candidate and still she spent $233,263. That is money she collected from her perch on the Broward County Commission, where she had a role in deciding multi-million dollar purchases, huge developments and other issues. A vote on the County Commission is valuable to local lobbyists and other business types, who really don’t care as much about the state House.

The mayor of a relatively small community on the northwest edge of state House District 96, Hunschofsky will most likely have more difficulty collecting that type of money.

This campaign will be different in another way. With so much overshadowing a state House race, most voters could care less who replaces Jacobs.

Still, some ads can be useful. If enough mailers, Internet ads, annoying robocalls, signs and flyers are thrown at voters, her name will sink in. Hunschofsky is a memorable name!

And name ID should be enough to win this one. Because any candidates in heavily-Democratic District 96 will most likely be reading from the same hymnal.

That includes the only other Democrat currently running: Saima Farooqui. She lost to Jacobs two years ago, but not because of the issues. She had a platform that called for increased gun control and tougher anti-discrimination enforcement, two Democratic touchstones.

But Farooqui is an American Muslim activist. And District 96 wasn’t ready to elect a Muslim candidate two years ago.  Is it today?

Saima Farooqui

Hunschofsky’s news release announcing her entry into the race is here:

Parkland, FL – Today, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky announced that she will run for the Florida House of Representatives in District 96 following the tragic passing of Rep. Kristin Jacobs.  Hunschofsky, a Democrat, was first elected Mayor of Parkland in 2016 and served in the position during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  Florida State House District 96 encompasses the municipalities of Coconut Creek and Parkland along with portions of Coral Springs and Margate.

Declaring her candidacy, Hunschofsky said, “I could never have imagined when I entered public office that I would see our community brutalized by a mass shooting and confronted by the devastating effects of an international health emergency.  Both of these events have revealed urgent issues which must be addressed by the legislature now including gun safety, emergency preparedness, economic recovery and fixing a broken unemployment system.  I cannot think of a time when my friend Kristin Jacobs’ leadership has been more needed than during this current crisis.  Losing her is a true blow to our district and I intend to use my experience in government to do all I can to continue her work of fighting for our community in Tallahassee.”

Hunschofsky’s campaign will also focus on improving access to quality, affordable healthcare; expanding Medicaid; increasing school safety; and increasing mental health funding in Florida’s budget.  Hunschofsky is additionally pledging to continue the work of Rep. Jacobs by fighting for the environment and clean water.

Originally from Boston, Hunschofsky holds an undergraduate degree from Boston University and an MBA from Babson College.  Before becoming Mayor, Hunschofsky spent nearly four years as a Parkland City Commissioner, seven years on the city’s Education Advisory Board and currently serves as a member of the Broward League of Cities School and Community Public Safety Task Force.  She is married with two children.

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