Democrat Lauren Book is making her childhood sexual abuse and her advocacy work the centerpiece of her campaign for Florida Senate District 30. Her camp released a new ad titled “Survivor” that will run in 30- and 60-second versions.
In the ad, Book says she was abused from about age 11 until she was 16, and that she made it her mission to protect children. The video mixes her direct-to-camera remarks with childhood photos, footage of her legislative work and scenes from Walk in My Shoes, the statewide awareness campaign run by her nonprofit, Lauren’s Kids. It also includes a photo with members of Moms Demand Action, the gun safety group.
Book, a former Senate Democratic Leader who served from 2016 to 2024, closes the spot by linking her work to motherhood and promising to “fight for families.” The ad follows “Fight Like a Mother,” a spot released last month that focused on child protection, gun safety, insurance costs and health care affordability.
Her record includes a 2018 law that lets qualifying first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder receive workers’ compensation, along with diaper-tax exemptions and a 2021 extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year. After the 2018 Parkland shooting, she worked on laws raising the firearm purchase age, adding a waiting period and creating risk protection orders.
The seat is open because Democratic Sen. Tina Scott Polsky declined to seek another term and endorsed Book. Her Republican opponent is Hector Rivera, a Coral Springs Realtor who won his primary with 61% of the vote. As of Sept. 25, Book reported $2.48 million across her campaign account and political committee. Election Day is Nov. 3.
