FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Tuesday turned back a strong primary challenge and will likely be re-elected to a seventh term in Congress despite losing her top Democratic National Committee position.
The Associated Press declared that Wasserman Schultz won her Florida Democratic primary against law professor Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders-backed challenger, with more than 57 percent of the vote.
Canova, 56, raised $3.3 million, according to his filings with the Federal Elections Commission, an almost unheard of amount for a first-time candidate and primary challenger. That has allowed him to operate four field offices and run TV ads.
Wasserman Schultz, 49, raised $3 million but has been assisted by spending from political action committees. She has also gotten backing from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
In Wasserman Schultz’s previous elections, she never drew a primary opponent in her suburban Fort Lauderdale district or a serious Republican challenge. In general elections, she received at least 60 percent of the vote in a 2-to-1 Democratic district that stretches from the ocean to the Everglades.
The email leaks that cost Wasserman Schultz her post as chair of the Democratic National Committee motivated Canova’s backers, who say the emails show that she and DNC staff members were unfair to Sanders during the Democratic presidential primaries. They say she is part of a Wall Street takeover of the party.
Canova, who teaches at Nova Southeastern University, has accused Wasserman Schultz of taking large donations from the sugar industry to ignore Everglades’ pollution.
Wasserman Schultz has accused Canova of not being a strong supporter of Israel, a key issue in a district with a large Jewish population.
The winner of the Wasserman Schultz-Canova race will likely face Republican Joe Kaufman in November. He lost to Wasserman Schultz by a 63 to 37 percent margin in 2014.
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