Democrat Ted Deutch won the Tuesday special election in Florida to replace former Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler. The Republican candidate, businessman Ed Lynch, tried to make the election a referendum on the Democrats’ health-care overhaul, but the district’s strong Democratic tilt meant the race was never really competitive.
“We’ve heard for months that tonight … is a referendum on health care, it’s a referendum on the (Obama) administration, it’s a referendum on what direction this country is going,” Deutch told supporters, according to the Associated Press. “Let me tell you something, what we learned today is that in Broward County and Palm Beach County, Florida, the Democratic Party is alive and well.”
Deutch, a state senator, defeated Lynch handily, 62%-35%, in a district that elected President Barack Obama with 66% of the vote in 2008.
Wexler announced he would resign last year to head up the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.
