By Anthony Man | Sun Sentinel
Hillary Clinton endorsed Jared Moskowitz in the Democratic congressional primary in an open South Florida district.
“We need more champions in Congress to help prevent gun violence and save lives. @JaredEMoskowitz will be one of those champions,” she wrote on Twitter.
Writing, on Twitter, in response, Moskowitz said he was “proud to be endorsed by my mentor.”
There’s a long, long history between Clinton — the former secretary of state, unsuccessful 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, and former U.S. senator from New York — and Moskowitz.
In 2016, Moskowitz was a Clinton delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 2015, he was the co-host of a fundraising event for Clinton at the Parkland home of his late father, Mike Moskowitz.
But it goes back much farther, thanks in part to Mike Moskowitz, who was a major Democratic Party fundraiser and Broward’s former state Democratic committeeman.
[ RELATED: Congressional candidate Jared Moskowitz tops 100 endorsements with his latest round of supporters ]
“I’ve known Sec Clinton since I was 12 years old, and she has been a role model of mine ever since. Her advice and support are major reasons I’m running for Congress. Honored to work with her to defend our democracy,” Moskowitz, 41, wrote on Twitter.
He is currently a Broward County commissioner, and is a former state representative from northwest Broward, former Parkland city commissioner, and former state emergency management director.
Clinton’s endorsement is a plus in the Democratic primary in 23rd Congressional District, which takes in parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
In Broward, Clinton received 66% of the vote in 2016. In Palm Beach County, she received 57% of the vote.
The congressional seat is open because of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election. On Oct. 1, Deutch becomes CEO of the American Jewish Committee.
The 23rd Congressional District has been reconfigured for the 2022 elections to account for population changes uncovered in the 2020 Census.
It takes in northern Broward and much of the coast extending south through most of Fort Lauderdale plus part of southern Palm Beach County.
It leans Democratic. In 2020, 56% of the new District 23 voters went for President Joe Biden, according to an analysis of voting data by Matt Isbell of the data mapping firm MCI Maps.
Four other Democrats are also seeking their party’s congressional nomination. Seven Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination in the Aug. 23 primary.