# Jared Moskowitz

Jared Evan Moskowitz (/ˈmɒskəwɪts/ MOSS-kə-wits; born December 18, 1980) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 23rd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served on the Broward County Commission from 2022 to 2023 and as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management from 2019 to 2021. Moskowitz also represented the Coral Springs-Parkland area in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2019.

## Early life and education

Moskowitz was born on December 18, 1980, in Coral Springs, Florida. His father, Michael, was an attorney, philanthropist, and prominent Democratic fundraiser. Moskowitz graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from George Washington University and a Juris Doctor from the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University.

## Early political career

Moskowitz began his political career as an intern for Vice President Al Gore and later worked as an assistant on Joe Lieberman's 2004 presidential campaign. He was also a Florida delegate pledged to Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. While attending law school, he was elected to the Parkland City Commission in 2006 and reelected in 2010, serving until he resigned in 2012 to run for the state legislature. As a city commissioner, Moskowitz supported efforts to make the city more eco-friendly by providing subsidies to households that purchase low-flow toilets and showerheads, energy-efficient air conditioners, and hybrid cars. After graduating from law school, he worked for AshBritt Environmental as the director of government relations and general counsel.

### Florida House of Representatives

When the state legislative districts were redrawn in 2012, Moskowitz opted to run in the newly drawn 97th house district, which consisted of northern Broward County. He won the Democratic primary unopposed and advanced to the general election, where he faced Republican nominee James Gleason, a business owner who had been an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Coral Springs. The Sun-Sentinel praised both candidates as "good choices for an open seat" but endorsed Moskowitz, declaring that his "good grasp of statewide and local issues" made him the better candidate. He defeated Gleason with 69% of the vote.
During his first term in the legislature, Moskowitz sponsored a memorial for Robert Levinson, who has been held as a hostage in Iran since 2007, calling on "Congress, the Obama administration and the Secretary of State's office to work to get Levinson home." Moskowitz's proposed memorial passed both houses of the legislature and was signed by Governor Rick Scott.
In 2014 and 2016, Moskowitz was reelected to the legislature without opposition.
In 2018, after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Moskowitz helped draft the bipartisan Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act, a bill to tighten gun control, school security, and school safety.

### Division of Emergency Management

In December 2018, Governor-elect Ron DeSantis appointed Moskowitz as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. He resigned from the Florida House and took office on January 15, 2019, during the recovery efforts for Hurricane Michael.
In 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moskowitz criticized 3M for diverting millions of N95 masks intended for Florida to foreign buyers offering higher prices. He described his unsuccessful efforts to secure masks, with distributors directing state officials to empty warehouses. According to Moskowitz, 3M's U.S. distributors acknowledged that Florida’s orders were delayed in favor of more profitable foreign sales, including to Germany, Russia, and France.
Moskowitz criticized 60 Minutes for running a story that claimed that Governor Ron DeSantis engaged in a pay-to-play scheme with supermarket chain Publix over distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, writing that "[n]o one" from DeSantis's "office suggested Publix" to distribute the vaccines.
On February 15, 2021, Moskowitz announced his resignation from the Division of Emergency Management, citing his desire to spend time with his father, who was battling pancreatic cancer. He officially left the Division in May 2021.
On August 5, 2021, Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levine Cava appointed Moskowitz to advise Miami-Dade's COVID-19 response.

## U.S. House of Representatives
### Elections
#### 2022

In 2022, following Representative Ted Deutch's announcement to leave Congress, Moskowitz declared his candidacy for Florida's 23rd congressional district. He secured the Democratic nomination in the August primary with 61.1% of the vote, defeating a range of challengers including Ben Sorensen who received 20.5%.
In the November general election, Moskowitz faced Republican nominee Joe Budd. Moskowitz won with 51.6% of the vote, while Budd received 46.8%. Independent candidates Christine Scott and Mark Napier received 1.1% and 0.5%, respectively.

#### 2024

In 2024, Moskowitz secured reelection for a second term. He faced Republican Joe Kaufman and won with 52.3% of the vote. Following his reelection, Moskowitz was informed of a potential assassination plot against him. A suspect was arrested near his home with a rifle and a manifesto containing antisemitic views.

### Tenure

Moskowitz assumed office on January 3, 2023, succeeding Democrat Ted Deutch.
On July 29, 2024, Moskowitz was announced as one of six Democratic members of a bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
On March 6, 2025, Moskowitz was one of ten Democrats in Congress who joined all of their Republican colleagues in voting to censure Democratic congressman Al Green for interrupting President Donald Trump's speech to Congress.

### Committee assignments

Moskowitz's committee assignments for the 119th Congress include:
* Committee on Foreign Affairs
** Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific
** Subcommittee on Oversight and Intelligence (ranking member)
* Committee on the Judiciary
** Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance
** Subcommittee on Oversight

### Caucus memberships

* Congressional Equality Caucus
* New Democrat Coalition

## Political positions
### COVID-19 policy

On February 1, 2023, Moskowitz was one of 11 Democrats to vote for a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.

### Department of Government Efficiency

Moskowitz is the only Democrat to have joined the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus in Congress. He has proposed reorganizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by potentially removing agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service from its jurisdiction. This proposal aims to reduce the size of the DHS.

### Immigration

In 2025, Moskowitz was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.

### Israel

On November 2, 2023, Moskowitz was one of 12 House Democrats to vote for a $14.3 billion aid package to Israel that was funded by cutting the IRS budget. He criticised pro-Palestinians demonstrations at Columbia University as anti-Semitic and said that the university leadership did not protect Jewish students. Moskowitz stated the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu as "irrelevant because Israel is not a party to their treaty."

## Personal life

Moskowitz is married to Leah Rifkin, and they have two children. They live in Coral Springs. He is Jewish.

## Electoral history
### 2024

2024 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Florida District 23 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | 194,200 | 52.3% |
| | Republican | Joe Kaufman | 176,886 | 47.7% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 371,086 | 100.0% |

### 2022

2022 General Election for U.S. House of Representatives Florida District 23 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | 143,951 | 51.6% |
| | Republican | Joe Budd | 130,681 | 46.8% |
| | Independent | Christine Scott | 3,079 | 1.1% |
| | Independent | Mark Napier | 1,338 | 0.5% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 279,049 | 100.0% |
2022 Democratic Primary for U.S. House of Representatives Florida District 23 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | 38,822 | 61.0% |
| | Democratic | Ben Sorensen | 12,952 | 20.5% |
| | Democratic | Hava Holzhauer | 5,278 | 8.3% |
| | Democratic | Allen Ellison | 4,420 | 6.9% |
| | Democratic | W. Michael Trout | 1,176 | 1.8% |
| | Democratic | Michaelangelo Hamilton | 1,064 | 1.7% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 63,712 | 100.0% |

### 2018

2018 Florida House of Representatives District 97 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | Unopposed | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | Unopposed | 100.0% |
2018 Democratic Primary for Florida House of Representatives District 97 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | 17,702 | 78.8% |
| | Democratic | Imtiaz Mohammad | 4,758 | 21.2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,460 | 100.0% |

### 2016

2016 Florida House of Representatives District 97 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | Unopposed | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | Unopposed | 100.0% |

### 2014

2014 Florida House of Representatives District 97 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | Unopposed | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | Unopposed | 100.0% |

### 2012

2012 Florida House of Representatives District 97 General Election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jared E. Moskowitz | 45,567 | 68.8% |
| | Republican | James Gleason | 20,640 | 31.2% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 66,207 | 100.0% |