Suzanne Kosmas (née McDonald;[3] born February 25, 1944) is the former U.S. Representative for Florida's 24th congressional district, serving one term from 2009 until 2011.

In 1996, when incumbent State Representative Jack Ascherl opted against seeking re-election, Kosmas ran to succeed him in the 28th District, which included eastern Volusia County.

Republicans, hoping to win a majority in the Florida House of Representatives for the first time since Reconstruction,[7] targeted the 28th District.

[9] On education, Kosmas emphasized her support for reducing class sizes, accountability for local school districts, and on creating alternative learning environments for disruptive children to develop home-grown solutions could help address the issue.

[11] Chiles repeatedly visited the district to campaign for Kosmas,[12] arguing that Ascherl left large shoes to fill and that she had the leadership credentials to replace him.

[13] Kosmas was also endorsed by the Orlando Sentinel, which argued that she had "a much sharper understanding of issues" than Cooper and that her "extensive hands-on community-service experience" was better-suited than his,[14] and by the Daytona Beach News-Journal, which concluded that she was "extraordinarily well-versed on key issues" and was "much more in touch than Cooper with the needs of the community.

[16] Ultimately, Kosmas ended up narrowly defeating Cooper, winning her first term in the legislature 52–48%, by a little more than 2,000 votes.

[18] Kosmas emphasized her experience in the legislature, legislative accomplishments, and moderate views, while Gardner argued that she was ideologically out-of-step with the more conservative district.

[37] In the November election, Kosmas won, taking 57% of the vote to Feeney's 41%[38] — the largest margin of defeat for a Republican incumbent in the 2008 cycle.