Lauren Book defeated fellow Broward Democrat Barbara Sharief Tuesday in one of the more contentious local primaries in Florida this year.
Book, the Democratic leader in the Florida Senate, defeated Sharief, the former Broward County mayor, the newly-drawn Senate District 35, which encompasses western Broward County including Hollywood, Davie, Cooper City, Pembroke Pines, Weston, and Miramar.
The Republican-dominated legislature redrew the legislative boundaries during redistricting. Book was drawn outside of the new Senate District 35 so she moved from her home in Plantation to Davie. Sharief lived in the new district and criticized Book for moving in.
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DECISION 2022
Book, the founder and CEO of the non-profit Lauren’s Kids, which works to stop child sex abuse, and Sharief, the founder of the in-home healthcare company South Florida Pediatric Home Care, spent months battling for the district seat.
Sharief’s company reached an agreement with Medicaid after her company was found to be overbilling. Book claimed in a TV ad that she defrauded the government healthcare program.
A political committee supporting Book called "Winning Florida" described Sharief as having a "shameful record on guns" in a mailer that included an image of the Democrat holding a rifle and referenced a resolution in Broward County trying to support the manufacturer of assault rifles years ago.
The photo was from a gun buyback program Sharief said was taken out of context. Sharief took it personal because her father was murdered by a gunman when she was a teenager.
Book denied she had any connection to the mail piece. Sharief filed a lawsuit against Book for defamation. Book denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit "frivolous."
Sharief counter-attacked Book, using old footage from a reality show about Book’s wedding, criticizing her for having a lavish lifestyle. Book’s father is one of the most powerful lobbyists in the state, Ronald Book.
Sharief also criticized Book for being too soft on Florida Republicans in Tallahassee, pointing to her choice not to call for a record vote on whether lawmakers support abortion exceptions for rape, human-trafficking, and incest.
Book was first elected in 2016. Sharief was the first Black woman to be Broward County mayor, and lost her bid in a 2021 special election to Congress.
