U.S. Rep. Wexler expected to step down from South Florida seat

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, the "fire-breathing" liberal lawmaker from South Florida, is expected to announce today that he is giving up his seat to take a Middle East policy job.

Wexler has scheduled a news conference this morning in Boca Raton. Wexler had been calling close friends Tuesday to tell them the news.

He is to join the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, based in Washington.

A special election will be held to fill the congressional seat and a gaggle of potential candidates quickly emerged Tuesday, including Democratic state Sens. Jeremy Ring and Ted Deutch.

First elected in 1996, Wexler has enjoyed immense popularity in his district, which covers Palm Beach and Broward counties, and his sharply partisan views have made him a cable TV favorite.

He was a leading opponent of the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton, and in 2008 he wrote the book Fire-Breathing Liberal: How I Learned to Survive (And Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress.

Wexler, 48, who is known for his support of Israel, traveled there in 2007 with Gov. Charlie Crist, a close friend despite Crist being a Republican.

Wexler was an early and vocal supporter of Barack Obama, and after Obama won the presidency there was widespread expectation that Wexler would join the administration.

But he knocked those rumors down.

"I certainly have no immediate plans to do anything other than continue in the job I love, which is a member of Congress representing Broward and Palm Beach counties," he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel then.

This month, Wexler gave a policy speech before the Center for American Progress in which he said Obama has created a different approach to the Middle East.

"And that construct is: It's no longer just the Israelis and Palestinians. It's the Israelis and the Palestinians joined with the entire Arab world, which is charged with responsibilities," Wexler said.

He said he was confident in Obama's vision that "a policy of engagement was in the interest of the United States."

Alex Leary can be reached at leary@sptimes.com.