By Dale M. King
BOCA RATON – Ted Deutch became District 30 state senator in 2006, succeeding former State Sen. Ron Klein, who was term-limited out of office that year, but won the election for U.S. Representative from District 22.
Ted Deutch
After two terms as a state senator, Deutch on Tuesday won the vacant seat of former U.S. Representative Robert Wexler, who quit Congress in January to take a job with a Washington-based think tank.
In Tuesday’s election called by Gov. Charlie Crist to replace Wexler, Deutch, a liberal Democrat, outpolled Republican Ed Lynch by a margin of about 2 to 1. The District 19 winner received about 62 percent of the votes (42,971) to just over 35 percent (24,304) for Lynch.
A third candidate, Jim McCormick, who was running without party affiliation, received 1,895 voters or about 2.74 percent.
Deutch and Lynch were the top vote getters among Democrats and Republicans who cast ballots in a primary election held in February.
During his first term in state office, Deutch passed two landmark legislative initiatives in state legislature. He received national recognition and testified before Congress for his successful efforts passing the “Protecting Florida’s Investments Act,” which mandated that the retirement funds of Florida workers could not be used to support Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons or aid genocide in Darfur.
In 2009, Deutch authored the “Protecting Florida’s Health Act,” a public health initiative intended to reduce youth smoking through an increased surcharge on tobacco products.
In the Senate, Deutch also passed legislation improving health care for seniors, promoting public education, and protecting children and the environment.
The Bethlehem, Penn., native is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. He was a lawyer with the Boca Raton firm of Broad and Cassel.
He lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Jill, his 14 year-old twin daughters, Gabrielle and Serena, and his 11 year-old son, Cole.