Kelly Skidmore
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Kelly Palmer Skidmore (born December 20, 1962) is a politician who serves as a member of the
Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
. She represented the 90th District, from 2006 to 2008. A
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
, she ran unsuccessfully for the
Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
in 2010 and again for the Florida House in 2016. In 2024, she ran unopposed as the incumbent. She represents the
Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
area.


Early life and career

Skidmore was born in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, and moved to the state of
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
in 1972, where she attended
Deerfield Beach High School Deerfield Beach High School (DBHS) is a public high school in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It is part of the Broward School District and has an enrollment of approximately 2,400. The school features the IB Middle Years Programme or Pre-IB, whic ...
. She worked as a legislative aide to then-
State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
Ron Klein Ronald Jason Klein ( ; born July 10, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who is a former member of the United States House of Representatives for . He is a member of the Democratic Party and chairs the Jewish Democratic Council of Amer ...
from 1996 to 2005, and then served as the vice-president of Advocacy and Public Policy for the Florida Chapter of the
Arthritis Foundation The Arthritis Foundation is a nonprofit organization addressing the needs of people living with arthritis in the United States. The Arthritis Foundation works to provide information and resources, improve access to care, make advancements in sc ...
. She is married to Ray Skidmore and they have a daughter.


Florida House of Representatives

In 2006,
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
Irving Slosberg opted to run for the
Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
rather than seek re-election. Skidmore ran to succeed Slosberg in the 90th District, which included
Deerfield Beach Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, just south of the Palm Beach County line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,859, making it the tenth-largest city in Broward County. Located 41 miles north of Miam ...
and
Delray Beach Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020, was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located in the Miami metropolitan area, Delray Beach is 52 miles (83 ...
in western
Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...
and
Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...
. She faced Len Turesky, Sheldon Klasfield, and Harvey Arnold in the Democratic primary, and was endorsed by the
AFL-CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...
and by former
United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
Janet Reno Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer and public official who served as the 78th United States Attorney General, United States attorney general from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. A member of ...
. During the campaign, Skidmore campaigned on her legislative experience working as Klein's aide, though she was attacked by Turesky for exaggerating her role in Klein's office. Ultimately, Skidmore emerged narrowly victorious in the crowded field, winning 29% of the vote to Turesky's 28%, Klasfield's 22%, and Arnold's 21%. She was unopposed in the general election. In 2008, Slosberg opened a campaign account to reclaim his old seat and challenge Skidmore in the Democratic primary, but ultimately declined to do so. Consequently, Skidmore was elected to her second term uncontested. During her tenure in the legislature, Skidmore worked to combat abuses in the state's pain clinics, successfully sponsoring legislation with fellow
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
Kurt Kelly Kurt Kelly (Politician) is an American politician, businessman. He is a native of Ocala, Florida. He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 24th district and is the President/CEO and founder of 3-D Background Screening, a ba ...
to create a statewide database for pain medicine prescriptions. In 2010, she proposed banning convicted felons from owning and operating pain clinics and placing limits on the quantity of prescription painkillers that physicians would be allowed to prescribe.


2010 Florida Senate campaign

Incumbent
State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
Jeff Atwater Jeffrey Hardee Atwater (born April 8, 1958) is an American financier who served as the 3rd Chief Financial Officer of Florida from 2011 to 2017, and currently serves as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Financial Officer at Flor ...
was unable to seek re-election in 2010 due to term limits, so Skidmore ran to succeed him in the 25th District, which stretched from
West Palm Beach West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
to
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
in
Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...
and
Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...
. She won the Democratic primary unopposed, and advanced to the general election, where she faced Republican
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff (born October 17, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Republican Party, Bogdanoff served as a member of the Florida Senate from the 25th District, running from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale, ...
and
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
candidate Miranda Rosenberg. Skidmore campaigned on her support for liberal social policies, including her opposition to additional restrictions on abortion and her support for ending the state's gay adoption ban. The
Florida Democratic Party The Florida Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Florida, headquartered in Tallahassee. Former commissioner of agriculture Nikki Fried is the current chair. Andrew Jackson, the first territorial go ...
invested heavily on behalf of Skidmore's campaign, aiming to win the seat to prevent
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
from winning a two-thirds majority in the chamber. The ''
Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, an ...
'', though praising both Bogdanoff and Skidmore as "seasoned, accomplished veterans of the Florida Legislature," endorsed Bogdanoff, suggesting that her leadership role among Republican legislators would benefit the district. Ultimately, despite the fact that
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
narrowly won the district in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, Skidmore was defeated by a wide margin, winning 38% of the vote to Bogdanoff's 58% and Rosenberg's 5%.


After the State House

After losing the 2010 election and retiring from the Florida House, Skidmore was named the executive director of Broward Days, an organization of government and business leaders who lobby the Florida Legislature for Broward County-friendly legislation. Following
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...
Irving Slosberg's decision to run for the
Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...
rather than seek re-election, Skidmore ran to replace him in the 90th District. She faced Slosberg's daughter, attorney Emily Slosberg, in the Democratic primary. Skidmore campaigned on her legislative experience, which included working on a bipartisan effort to regulate pain clinics in South Florida. She emphasized the practical reality that Democrats were at a "severe minority" in the Florida House, but nonetheless argued that she would help fight against Republican efforts to restrict access to abortion. Skidmore also campaigned on making Florida "a global marine research hub," expanding healthcare for impoverished Floridians, and "develop ngeducational programs that would better match the needs of Florida's businesses." Ultimately, the ''
Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, an ...
'' endorsed her campaign, calling the choice between Skidmore and Slosberg "easy" and noting that "Skidmore has a much stronger grasp of the issues facing Florida and an admirable understanding of how politics works in Tallahassee." However, Slosberg ended up narrowly beating Skidmore, 52-48%, a difference of just 600 votes.


References


External links


Florida House of Representatives - Kelly Skidmore
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Skidmore, Kelly 1962 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Deerfield Beach High School alumni People from Broward County, Florida Politicians from Cleveland People from Boca Raton, Florida 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2010 United States elections Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature