Lois Frankel

Early life and education

Frankel was born in 1948 in New York City and received a bachelor's degree from Boston University in 1970. She earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1973. Frankel moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1974.

Elections

In 1986, incumbent Democratic state representative Eleanor Weinstock of the 83rd district decided to run for a seat in the Florida Senate. Frankel ran for Weinstock's open seat in the Florida House, and defeated Republican nominee Gerald Adams 69%–31% in November 1986. In 1988, she won re-election to a second term unopposed; in 1990, she again was unopposed.

In November 1991, Frankel resigned as state representative, to run for Congress in 1992. Mimi McAndrews, a former aide of Frankel's, was elected to replace her. Frankel lost to fellow Democratic representative Alcee Hastings in the 1992 congressional primary.

In 1994 Frankel challenged, and after a bitter campaign, defeated McAndrews in the Democratic primary for her old State House seat. Frankel won the November 1994 general election with 55% of the vote. In 1996, she won re-election to a fifth term with 68% of the vote. In 1998, she won re-election to a sixth term with 64% of the vote. In 2000, she won re-election to a seventh term with 63% of the vote.

Tenure

During her first period as a state legislator, Frankel was State House Majority Whip. While in office from 1995 to 2003, Frankel became the first female House Minority Leader in Florida's history and co-authored a change to Florida's already existing AIDS omnibus law originally passed in 1988. She left office due to term limits in 2002 after serving fourteen years in the State House.

Committee assignments

1992 congressional election

In 1992, she decided to retire from the State House to run for the newly created Florida's 23rd district. In the Democratic primary, Frankel ranked first with 35% of the vote, but failed to reach the 50% threshold necessary to win outright and avoid a run-off election. In the run-off election, former U.S. District Court Judge Alcee Hastings defeated Frankel 57%–43%.

2002 gubernatorial election

In 2002, Frankel entered and then dropped out of the 2002 election for Governor of Florida, in which Governor Jeb Bush won re-election.

Mayor of West Palm Beach (2003–2011)

On March 11, 2003, Frankel defeated incumbent Democratic West Palm Beach Mayor Joel Daves in the mayoral election. Frankel was endorsed in the race by former West Palm Beach Mayor Nancy Graham. Frankel won with 56% of the vote to 38% for Daves. She was sworn into office on March 27, 2003.

In 2007, Frankel won re-election to a second term, defeating Al Zucaro 58%–42%.

On March 31, 2011, due to term limits, Frankel left office as Mayor of West Palm Beach after two-terms. In the race to succeed her, West Palm Beach city commissioner Jeri Muoio, was elected that month, with 51% of the vote, on a platform of business development and pension reform.

2012 congressional election

On March 21, 2011, Frankel announced that she would run in the newly redrawn Florida's 22nd congressional district in the upcoming 2012 House election. On August 14 she defeated Democrat primary rival Kristin Jacobs, and moved forward to the November election against Republican Adam Hasner.

Frankel was criticized for acceptance of $20,000.00 from Digital Domain Media Group for her election campaign five months after that company was awarded a downtown project which included incentives from the city of West Palm Beach, and in response vowed to give the contribution to charity.

Frankel went on to win the general election on November 6, 2012, defeating Hasner 54.7% to 45.3%.

Committee assignments