Rudman shared a photo of himself cozied up with Democrat Hillary Cassell
UPDATE: The strong Republican challenger decided not to enter the 2024 race but will likely run in 2026.
Current Florida House District 3 Representative Joel Rudman has been actively working with Democrats to expand Medicaid in Florida, and it could end up costing him his seat.
Rudman has only been able to get 4 of 14 sponsored bills passed, and he’s blaming part of that on his efforts to expand Medicaid.
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and other Republican leaders have strongly opposed expanding Medicaid. But Rudman didn’t care.
During an appearance on “This Week in South Florida” with Democrat Hillary Cassel, who represents Florida House District 101, Rudman advocated for expanding Medicaid in Florida. “This option needs to be put on the table,” he told Host Glenna Milberg.
Then during a March 2024 interview with Florida Politics, Rudman said said five of his last seven bills were “killed” after he came out in favor of expanding Medicaid.
Democrat Keith Gillum today switched from challenging House District 1 Representative to face off against Rudman in District 3. I suspect Gillum also wants to expand Medicaid since it’s been a 2024 Democratic initiative in the state legislature…