Hasner, Frankel Tied in Florida House Race

Republican Adam Hasner and Democrat Lois Frankel are tied at 47 percent support each in the race to represent Florida’s 22nd District in Congress, according to a Sunshine State News poll published Thursday.

The candidates, both experienced state legislators, are also well matched in fundraising. Each has pulled in about $2.9 million, according to the Centers for Responsive Politics.

Lois Frankel (AP Photo)

The newly redrawn 22nd District is based in South Florida, encompassing the coastline from northern Broward County to the northern end of Palm Beach County. It includes West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach.

The district is currently represented by firebrand conservative Allen West, who is running in the 18th district this November.

Hasner, 42, is a former state House majority leader. He has received endorsements from both Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Frankel, 64, was the first woman to serve as majority leader for Florida’s House. She served as mayor of West Palm Beach from 2003-2011.

At a debate Wednesday night, Hasner accused Frankel of taking money from questionable sources. “It goes along the line of the culture of corruption we’ve seen in West Palm Beach for far too long — the pay-to-pay politics,” he said, according to The Palm Beach Post, which sponsored the debate.

Adam Hasner (AP Photo)

Frankel countered that Hasner was taking money from unscrupulous groups. For weeks, the Young Guns super PAC ran a TV ad called “Flush Frankel” that accused her of flying in a city helicopter to attend a party when she was mayor and installing a marble bathroom in her office in the new city hall.

“By proxy you have now spent $300,000 to $400,000 from Super PACS with fancy names,” Frankel said. “We don’t know who the donors are — it could be billionaires, it could be corporations — we don’t know what their interests are. That’s what’s corrupting politics and hijacking democracy.”

Frankel pledged not to privatize Medicare, an issue of great importance to Florida’s large senior population. Hasner said he wants to give people a choice between a government subsidy for private insurance and traditional Medicare.