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About Ted Deutch

Congressman Ted Deutch was elected to represent Florida’s 19th district in the United States House of Representatives by a Special Election on April 13, 2010. Prior to his election, Ted served four years in the Florida State Senate, where he quickly became known as a hardworking, talented legislator and a rising Democratic voice in Florida. Ted’s priorities in Congress include strengthening the health and financial security of America’s retirees, creating economic opportunity for small businesses and young families in South Florida, and protecting the national security interests of the United States, Israel, and our international allies.

As a Florida State Senator, Ted earned national recognition for passing legislation making Florida the first state in America to exert economic pressure aimed at thwarting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The language of Ted’s law was later incorporated into sanctions legislation at the federal level as part of the Iran Sanctions Act of 2010. Within his first month in Congress, Ted’s expertise on divestment and the identification of companies supporting Iran’s energy sector was solicited for testimony by the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Intergovernmental Affairs. His interest in national security matters and the Middle East is inseparable from his lifelong activism in the pro-Israel community.

Ted also passed legislation in Florida that reduced smoking across the state and funded critical health care programs, including cancer research. Organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and the Florida Education Association have recognized Ted for his advocacy on behalf of seniors, children, and working families. Ted considers the opportunity to serve in Congress a great honor and a continuation of his lifelong commitment to bettering the community and the world. This commitment to service has earned him prominent awards, including the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship and the James and Marjorie Baer Leadership Award from the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.

While Ted is new to Congress, he has already hit the ground running with legislative initiatives on behalf of Florida’s 19th district. Within his first few weeks in office, the House unanimously adopted a Deutch amendment to extend Home Star Energy Rebates to victims of natural disasters. Ted has also partnered with the House Seniors’ Task Force to introduce a Seniors Bill of Rights, a collection of principles aimed at strengthening Social Security and Medicare and ensuring that seniors can live lives of dignity. Ted has been appointed to serve on the House Foreign Affairs and House Judiciary Committees, both of which oversee issues of importance to South Florida.

Ted Deutch, 44, was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is the youngest son of Jean Deutch and the late Bernard Deutch, a World War II veteran who earned a Purple Heart during the Battle of the Bulge. After graduating from Liberty High School in 1984, Ted went on to study at the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. Ted and his wife of 19 years, Jill Deutch, moved to South Florida in 1997. They live in West Boca Raton with their 14-year old twin daughters, Gabrielle and Serena, and their 11-year old son, Cole.