Lori is a lifelong Democrat who has fought hard for progressive values during her twelve years in the Florida Legislature. She has a proven record of success built on prioritizing people over special interests. Lori’s priorities include protecting access to abortion, safeguarding voting rights, addressing climate change, growing jobs and fighting for commonsense gun violence prevention measures.

Lori—a wife, mother, attorney, and breast cancer survivor—grew up in Plantation and graduated from Nova High School in Davie. Her first foray into politics came as a teenager, when she volunteered on Democrat Charlie Friedman’s campaign for Congress. Lori is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tufts University, where she majored in international relations. She went on to earn a law degree from the National Law Center at George Washington University as well as an advanced professional degree in estate planning from the University of Miami. In Washington, Lori worked at Clifford & Warnke, the law firm of former Defense Secretary Clark Clifford and arms control negotiator Paul Warnke.

Lori has a long record of community service and is active with many of Palm Beach County’s most prominent civic, social and political organizations.  In 1996, she worked on the congressional campaign of then-State Senator Robert Wexler, who hired her as a Legislative Aide after winning election to the United States House of Representatives. In 2009, Lori announced her own decision to run for public office.  Over the course of her first campaign for the Florida House of Representatives, she worked hard to earn the support of her community and was elected with an overwhelming 79% of the vote.  In 2018, after serving four terms in the State House, voters elected her to the Florida Senate by a margin of three to one.

Lori has served as the Chair of the Palm Beach County Delegation, Chair of the Women’s Caucus, Rules Chair for the Senate Democratic Caucus, as well as in a variety of other leadership roles.  Throughout her tenure in the House and the Senate, Lori has advocated to ensure that all Floridians have access to quality healthcare, that our public schools are properly funded, that women’s rights are protected, and that Florida’s number one priority remains economic prosperity. Between 2011 and 2016, she was named a Middle Class Champion by Progress Florida, Florida Watch Action and America Votes.  In her spare time, Lori enjoys playing tennis, skiing, hiking, traveling and reading.

Lori and her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Ganeles, have been married for 38 years and share two children, Caryn and Steven.