As an elected official, Hillary Cassel has acquired extra consideration — and notoriety — up to now few days than up to now two years.
Late final week, whereas most individuals have been distracted by Christmas and Hanukkah, the state consultant from Dania Seaside abruptly switched events.
Elected as a Democrat to the Florida Home in 2022 and re-elected in November with out opposition, Cassel turned a Republican in a single day. After operating proudly for workplace on her “Democratic ideas,” as she known as them, she has joined the celebration of Donald Trump, who congratulated her on social media.
A lot for precept.
A few of Cassel’s Broward constituents are very offended, and they need to be. Folks rightly really feel betrayed, lied to, deceived. Cassel waited until she was safely again in workplace, then turned the 87th Republican of the 120-member Home. It seems to be cynical and self-serving, and politicians marvel why folks don’t belief them.
Some voters desire a particular election, or to recall her from workplace, however the legislation permits for neither. There’s nothing voters can do besides wait till 2026, and vote Cassel out.
Within the coronary heart of Broward
Her district, within the coronary heart of Broward, is an financial powerhouse. It consists of the airport, Nova Southeastern College and Seminole Exhausting Rock Resort & On line casino and runs the shoreline from Port Everglades to Miami-Dade.
myfloridahouse.gov
Florida Home District 101 is within the coronary heart of Broward.
This solidly Democratic district is altering. It’s changing into more and more Hispanic with rising pockets of Republican power in Hallandale Seaside and within the Emerald Hills part of Hollywood, and that partly explains why Trump narrowly gained right here. However that is far, removed from a MAGA stronghold (the Republican registration is simply 28%), and it’s no marvel Cassel gained with out opposition in 2024.
However her rationalization for this self-serving swap doesn’t maintain as much as scrutiny. On social media, Cassel, who’s Jewish, faulted the Democratic Social gathering’s “failure to unequivocally help Israel and its willingness to tolerate excessive progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism.”
Later in her assertion, Cassel will get to what might have pushed this resolution: that she could have “enter, collaboration and respect” from Republicans, implying disrespect from fellow Democrats. On that time, Cassel has each proper to be offended.
Take a look at the chessboard
Due to time period limits, many state Home members logically wish to be senators. Most of Cassel’s Home district is inside Senate District 37, held by Democrat Jason Pizzo. He simply gained a brand new four-year time period, however he’s extensively anticipated to run for governor in 2026, opening this seat a lot sooner.
As a twice-elected Democrat, shopper advocate and insurance coverage knowledgeable, Cassel is well-positioned to run for the seat.
However former Sen. Lauren Guide, who was termed out in November and needs to return, has already filed to run for the seat — as a carpetbagger who doesn’t even reside within the district.
Guide’s early entry was “a marker, a warning to different potential candidates,” as Solar Sentinel political reporter Anthony Man aptly described it, and it seemed prefer it was aimed squarely at Cassel. This could be the second time Guide has to maneuver to increase her political profession.
With Guide now blocking her path, and with South Broward changing into much less reliably Democratic, Cassel would possibly see a path to victory as a Republican — an concept thought-about unthinkable a number of years in the past. (Cassel didn’t reply to our request for an interview.)
Echoes of GOP alliances
As a recent face with a consumer-friendly message, Cassel got here out of nowhere in 2022 to run for the Home. She beat two different first-time Democratic candidates, Todd Delmay and Clay Miller, in a decisive major — the final election featured solely nominal Republican opposition. We endorsed Delmay within the major. All through the marketing campaign, Miller warned voters about Cassel’s Republican alliances.
From 2019 to 2021, Cassel had been chairperson of a political committee, Florida Policyholders Cooperative, which spoke up for shoppers towards the insurance coverage trade.
The committee raised greater than $800,000 and showered each events with cash. A whole lot of hundreds went to Republicans, allied committees and the state GOP, who managed the insurance coverage agenda. “I don’t make the principles,” Cassel stated on the time.
Regardless of that, she collected endorsements from many Democratic politicians, despite the fact that each of her rivals had a lot expertise within the trenches, serving to different Democrats.
The help helped Cassel acquire traction and overcome her previous ties to the GOP (she was a Republican earlier than 2016, when she turned a Democrat, her voting historical past reveals). However these endorsements haven’t aged effectively, and people Democrats have to loudly denounce Cassel’s swap. It’s additionally secure to imagine that Cassel gained’t win unopposed ever once more.
In a 2022 Solar Sentinel Editorial Board interview you may watch on-line, Cassel stated: “We want any person with the talent set to push again towards the Republicans,” citing the GOP’s “excessive agenda” that features an abortion ban, voter suppression, mistreatment of low-wage staff and marginalizing LGBTQ folks.
Now Cassel is a part of the Republican supermajority she denounced so strongly.
The Solar Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Government Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, e-mail at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
