Rep. Jared Moskowitz beats DSA-backed primary challenger in redrawn Florida district

Rep. Jared Moskowitz triumphed Tuesday over a Democratic Socialists of America-backed challenger in Florida’s 25th Congressional District primary, delivering a setback to the Democratic Party’s left wing in its drive to unseat moderate incumbents.

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Moskowitz, one of the most prominent Jewish Democrats in the House of Representatives, will face Republican former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer Nov. 3 for the right to represent a district whose boundaries were recently redrawn by Florida legislators to favor the GOP.

The defeat by Moskowitz, 45, of union organizer Oliver Larkin follows mixed results for progressives in this month’s contests, with Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Senate primary followed by Francesca Hong’s defeat in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race.

With 91% of the expected vote in, Moskowitz (D-Fla.) had 63.5% support, easily outstripping Larkin’s 36.5%.

Most polls had shown Moskowitz beating Larkin by double-digits, with the exception of a Democrat-sponsored survey by the Center for Strategic Politics that found the incumbent just two percentage points ahead of his challenger, 40% to 38%.

The two-term incumbent was backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), while Oliver was endorsed by far-left streamer Hasan Piker and former Bronx and Westchester Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).

Larkin had swiped at Moskowitz for dubbing himself a “[Ron] DeSantis Democrat,” an apparent nod to the incumbent’s stint as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management under the term-limited Republican governor.

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By contrast, Larkin supported radical initiatives such as “Medicare for All,” abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and even doing away with the US Senate.

Larkin also advocated for ending US military aid for Israel, referring to the Jewish state’s war against Hamas in Gaza as a “genocide.”

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“I do not support a religious supremacist regime, whether it be in Israel or Saudi Arabia, or any other country,” the 33-year-old told Fox News last month.

Additionally, Larkin called for taxing billionaires “out of existence.”

Before running for Congress, Larkin worked on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign.

Moskowitz has voted in favor of US aid to Israel and condemned members of his party who refer to Israel’s war following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state as a “genocide.” He declined to debate Larkin, telling a local radio station last month: “I’m not going to platform him. He’s running against me solely on my religion.”

Moskowitz holds one of four Democratic seats listed as a “toss-up” that could help determine control of the House in the Nov. 3 midterms, according to the non-partisan Cook Political Report.

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