FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Scott Singer, the term-limited mayor of Boca Raton, may run for Congress.

Singer said he hasn’t made a decision, despite speculation among some Republicans this week that he was on the verge of entering the race in the Broward-Palm Beach County 23rd Congressional District.

He didn’t foreclose the possibility. “I love public service and haven’t ruled out any opportunities to continue to serve our community,” Singer said in a phone interview.

If he decides to run, it would set the stage for an intense Republican primary contest for the nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who is seeking a third term in 2026.

Already running are former state Rep. George Moraitis, R-Fort Lauderdale, and Joe Kaufman, who was the 2024 Republican nominee against Moskowitz, plus some other lesser-known candidates.

Candidates for offices like Congress often announce their intentions early in a quarter so they have almost three full months before they have to file their first campaign fundraising reports, hoping they can use that time to show an initial report with an impressive amount raised. The days leading up to a long holiday weekend, aren’t prime time for a candidate announcement.

Singer has received a burst of national attention this week as he capitalized on the victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in an attempt to benefit Boca Raton.

Singer’s response to the democratic socialist’s primary victory: pitching New York businesses on the idea of moving to Boca Raton.

His effort made a front-page headline of the tabloid New York Post — “Boca Raton mayor luring biz looking to escape Momdani’s socialist policies” — and interviews and mentions on both the main Fox News channel and on the Fox business channel on cable. All three outlets, part of the Murcoch family’s conservative media empire, are favored sources of information for Republicans.

Singer said his effort wasn’t part of any kind of potential campaign strategy.

“My continued promotion of Boca Raton has nothing to do with any campaign. It’s about attracting jobs here. And the New York primary has given us another great audience and more reasons for people to want to come to a low-tax, high-talent, world-class city like Boca Raton,” he said.

Singer, a lawyer, was first elected to the Boca Raton City Council in 2014. He was elected mayor in 2018, and reelected in 2020 and 2023. No one came forward to challenge him in 2023 for his final term, which ends in March 2026.

Singer thought about running for Congress, but opted not to, when the seat opened in 2022. Then-U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democrat, resigned to become CEO of the American Jewish Committee. Moskowitz was elected in 2022 and reelected in 2024.

There’s an interplay of politics and geography in a potential Republican primary.

Voter registration figures as of Tuesday show 69% of the district’s registered Republicans — who will vote in the primary and determine the party’s nominee — live in the Broward part of the district, which is Moraitis’ home territory.

The remaining 31% live in the Palm Beach County part of the district, which is Singer’s home base.

For Republicans, the district looks increasingly enticing.

The 23rd District — which takes in northern Broward and much of the coast extending south through most of Fort Lauderdale and a share of southern Palm Beach County — has become more Republican.

Moskowitz’s 2022 and 2024 victories were the smallest margins of any congressional races in the state.

The partisan voting index from the Cook Political Report rates the district as D plus 2, which means it performed 2 points more Democratic than the nation during the past two presidential contests. That represents a shift toward the Republicans; After the 2020 presidential election and before last year’s voting, the partisan voting index was D plus 5.

National Republicans didn’t devote money or attention to the 23rd District in 2022 or 2024. For 2026, the National Republican Congressional Committee has Moskowitz on its list of 26 Democrats it is targeting for defeat.

Democrats are optimistic partly because the first midterm election after a presidential election is usually good for the party that doesn’t control the White House.

The June analysis from the nonpartisan Inside Elections said “Republicans are eager to capitalize on political shifts that have turned Moskowitz’s once-safely Democratic district into competitive territory.” It rated the district as “lean Democratic.”

Both Singer and Moratiis are supporters of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

Singer said he was waiting for Donalds to enter the race earlier this year, and immediately endorsed him. “I saw someone who had a clear vision to lead our state and has had an impressive record of service in his career. And he’s got the vision and the passion to lead our state to even greater success.”

Moraitis and Donalds served together in the Florida House of Representatives, before Donalds was elected to Congress.

While the gubernatorial candidate was talking about President Donald Trump’s first six months in office at a large political gathering, sponsored by Club 47, near West Palm Beach on Monday night, he spotted Moraitis.

“George Moraitis. Oh my gosh, what’s up man?” Donalds exclaimed. “I heard you’re running for office. How’s it going?”

Donalds explained that “George Moraitis is a good friend. Known him a long time, a long, long time.” He then turned back to national politics.

-------------

©2025 South Florida Sun Sentinel. Visit at sun-sentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.