BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The race for a congressional seat in Broward County has been getting nastier by the day.
Incumbent Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is locked in a contentious rematch with former Broward Commissioner Dale Holness.
Allegations are flying back and forth between the two, but the low blows are coming from Holness.
He’s playing hardball for losing the primary eight months ago by just five votes to Cherfilus-McCormick.
Cherfilus-McCormick got a boost this week when the Sun Sentinel recommended her re-election, saying she hit the ground running in Washington D.C. and is doing well for a freshman lawmaker.
The paper also blasted Holness, saying, “He’s running a smear campaign, accusing Cherfilus-McCormick without proof of embezzlement...a felony.”
Cherfilus-McCormick returned fire with a $1 million libel lawsuit, pointing to a campaign text from a Holness aide that said, “We don’t need to embezzle $6 million in taxpayer dollars to buy a seat in congress. Our opponent may think she can do that.”
The congresswoman is playing hardball, too. In a new ad, Holness is called a Republican in disguise.
Local 10 News has reached out Holness multiple times to get his side of the story, and an interview is scheduled for Friday.