08.16.2004

South Florida Sun-Sentinel Endorses Deutsch Campaign

By THE SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL EDITORIAL BOARD, The Sun-Sentinel

Peter Deutsch has been a tenacious campaigner and outspoken lawmaker since he first was elected to public office in 1982 at the age of 25. That was for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.

For the last 10 years, the 47-year-old Deutsch has served effectively in the U.S. House as the representative of District 20, which covers much of Broward County and part of Miami-Dade.

His chief competitors for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat are former Florida Secretary of Education Betty Castor and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas.

Both Castor and Penelas also bring strong credentials and records of service, but the edge goes to Deutsch. He is a savvy politician who knows his way around Washington. He can be expected to fight hard for all Florida residents, but he especially understands the needs of South Florida.

Since the beginning of his political career, Deutsch has been a steadfast defender of programs that serve the elderly and underprivileged. He supports excluding Social Security trust fund surpluses from overall budget calculations to prevent "raiding" of the trust funds to finance unrelated spending and tax cuts. He believes the current Medicare drug benefit is inadequate, and has introduced legislation that would allow the federal government to negotiate lower prices.

Deutsch isn't afraid to buck the liberal wing of his party. In the past, he has voted to give the president line-item veto authority. He also voted in favor of a balanced-budget amendment for the U.S. Constitution. And, he supported a cut in the capital gains tax and welfare reform.

Deutsch, a resident of Hollywood, has a law degree from Yale.

Castor, 63, served three terms in the Florida Senate and then two terms as education commissioner. After leaving politics, she became president of the University of South Florida. It has been 14 years since she last ran for public office. She's from the Tampa Bay area.

Penelas, 42, has served as Miami-Dade mayor for eight years. Two years ago, he spearheaded a successful drive for a constitutional amendment requiring the state to offer pre-kindergarten education.

Bernard E. Klein, a 57-year-old Plantation businessman with no prior political experience, also is on the ballot.

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