It’s been an exciting Republican primary season in beautiful Palm Beach County. Here’s the update showing who the biggest elephant trunks in the room are and how much the coveted “complete and total endorsement from Donald J. Trump” actually meant during this 2024 election. There was one surprise that many in this county never saw coming. Some lucky winners, such as the Public Defender winner, do not have to go on to the general election. Other Republican winners will have to duke it out in November with Democrat donkeys. Here are the winners.
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U.S. Senator Rick Scott
It comes as no surprise that Rick Scott kicked butt in his race against; who cares? Believe it or not, Scott had not one but two primary opponents, but an incumbent who is a former Florida Governor was already a done deal.
Congressional District 21 Brian Mast
This is another race that was a done deal. Did anyone know incumbent Congressman Brian Mast had a primary opponent? I don’t think anyone was concerned about anti-Israel Pastor Rick Wiles. Matzoh lovers throughout the county can rejoice in this win.
Congressional District 22 Dan Franzese
Dan Franzese won a contentious primary in 2022 against Deb Adeimy and then got curb-stomped by Lois Frankel in the general election. This time, he beat both Adeimy and newcomer Andrew Gutmann. For those paying attention, the two men had quite the mailer war going on, leaving voters wondering which candidate was the biggest Chinese-supporting RINO of the two. Franzese pulled off the win, and I’m sure the MAGA Trump endorsement helped voters decide. He faces current long-time Democrat Congresswoman Lois Frankel in the general.
Congressional District 23 Joe Kaufman
This Congressional primary race was vicious, and a lot of candidates decided to participate, believing they were the ones who would take out Democrat Congressman Jared Moskowitz. In a surprising twist, life-long Republican Joe Kaufman, who has been involved in politics forever, pulled off a win by getting the majority of the votes in Broward County, which makes up most of this Congressional district. Many thought seasoned former Dem politician Robert Weinroth would be the one to pull this off, but Kaufman surprised us all. All eyes will be on him during the general election while we watch to see if he can win in liberal Broward County.
House District 94 Meg Weinberger
A lot of money was thrown around in term-limited Republican Rick Roth’s seat, with surprising endorsements coming up towards the end of the race. MAGA Meg Weinberger, endorsed by Trump, beat Governor DeSantis-endorsed Anthony Aguirre. Her hard work paid off. She’ll now face former Democrat and seasoned politician, former Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Rachelle Litt, in the general. This race is sure to be brutal. This is one to watch.
PBC State Attorney Sam Stern
Sam Stern easily defeated “Run Forrest Run” Freedman. Voters saw that the level-headed Stern was the candidate most likely to beat DEI Democrat Alexcia Cox in the general election in November. This will be a tough race, but if Republicans band together, Stern will win.
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PBC Public Defender Dan Eisinger
In this hotly contested race, Dan Eisinger beat Adam “not related to Lois” Frankel. The current dinosaur donkey in the seat endorsed the liberal Eisinger, which pushed him over the finish line. This race proves that Democrats are coming out in full force in this county, even if it’s to defeat another Democrat that they’ve decided is a DINO. Republicans were confused about who to vote for in this one. Between some not voting and Democrats coming out more strongly for the other guy, it wasn’t Frankel’s time.
Sheriff Mike Gauger
Former Democrat Mike Gauger, who made some questionable moves during his campaign, such as calling opponent Lauro Diaz a f*cking a*sh*le during a Zoom meeting that made it on tabloid news show TMZ, won his election and now will go on to the general to try to beat long-time beloved Sheriff Rick Bradshaw. Voters will have to decide if it’s time to take out the old but good for the old and unproven. This is a race to watch.
PBC State Committeeman Joe LaFauci
Long-time State Committeeman Joe Budd did not seek reelection this year. Now we have a new State Committeeman, Joe LaFauci, the first out and openly gay Republican State Committeeman in Florida and the youngest. Joe is the new face of the accepting and loving Republican Party. Second in this race was former County Commissioner Ron Howard, who graciously called LaFauci, proving he’s a great guy and a good sport—the distant third candidate, not a peep.
PBC State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz
Winner Jodi Schwartz is a newcomer compared to long-time REC former Vice Chair Tami Donnelly, but all candidates and elected officials know her. She has worked tirelessly on campaigns throughout the county and will be an asset to the party. With that beautiful smile, Republicans can feel good knowing she will be there to support them.
County Court Judge Group 2 Lourdes Casanova
Despite an endorsement rescindment from a group who decided she wasn’t conservative enough, voters disagreed, and Lourdes Casanova came in first. Now, Casanova will have to face surprise second-place finisher Jean Marie Middleton.
School Board District 1 Matt Lane and Page Lewis
Former Palm Beach Gardens councilman Matt Lane beat Page Lewis in the school board District 1 race, but it wasn’t enough to end the race. Lane didn’t get fifty +1 percent of the vote, which means Lane and Lewis will be running against each other in the general election in November. Both candidates are Republicans, but this is a nonpartisan race, and voters must decide which candidate is their favorite elephant. Lane is a traditional businessman and a good balance for the liberal Palm Beach County school board. Lewis is bold, and her endorsement from Governor DeSantis may help her win.
School Board District 5 Gloria Branch and Mindy Koch
Gloria Branch, whose father Art Johnson is a former Palm Beach County school superintendent, ran a kick-ass campaign. Another candidate who entered is former DEC darling Mindy Koch. This race was complicated, with Robert Weinroth filing for the seat, dropping out to run for Congress, and ultra-right-wing Mike Letsky filing much earlier. Ultimately, Gloria, whose daughter goes to Spanish River, persevered on the R side, and she’ll be running against big Donkey Dem Koch in the November election. Now is the time for Republicans to get to work.
The winners whose races aren’t finished will face Democrats in November, and races that didn’t have primaries will face opponents in the general. If the upward trend of Republican voter registration continues as it did in 2022, this will be a red November. Stay tuned for all of the updates in the next couple of months. It’s an exciting time to be in Palm Beach County.
Other stories you may want to read:
- It’s Fall-Tracy Caruso Tells All - October 2, 2024
- PBC Sheriff Ric Bradshaw Running Strong for Re-Election - September 26, 2024
- Tracy Caruso Wants You To Know These Things - September 24, 2024