 When State Senator Steven Geller was unable to seek re-election, Sobel ran to succeed him in the 31st District, which was based in Broward County, and submitted her resignation from the School Board.She faced former State Representatives Kenneth A. Gottlieb and Tim M. Ryan in the Democratic primary, and the "Sun-Sentinel" remarked that all three candidates were "cut-from-the-same-cloth" who "compiled similar voting records and took similar positions on issues.