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. She was initially scheduled to face Ted Doran, a
Port Orange attorney in the
Democratic primary, but at the last minute, Governor
Lawton Chiles persuaded Doran to run in the 27th District instead. Accordingly, she won the primary unopposed and, while a contentious
Republican primary developed between businessman Fred Cooper and former
Daytona Beach Mayor Paul Carpenella, Kosmas was able to raise campaign contributions for the general election. In the general election, Kosmas ended up facing Cooper, and a close election ensued. Republicans, hoping to win a majority in the
Florida House of Representatives for the first time since
Reconstruction, targeted the 28th District. Kosmas focused her campaign on economic development, education, juvenile crime, and healthcare. 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. She noted her concern that, while violent crime was decreasing, juvenile crime was increasing, and argued that reducing truancy, using the educational system to identify at-risk children, and working with community leaders to develop home-grown solutions could help address the issue. Chiles repeatedly visited the district to campaign for Kosmas, arguing that Ascherl left large shoes to fill and that she had the leadership credentials to replace him. 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, 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." The
News-Journal also criticized the attack ads that Cooper ran against Kosmas—which called her "Volusia County's Biggest Fraud" and accused her of being a "tax cheat" and a "business fraud"—as "the nastiest and most deceptive ads" in that year's elections. Ultimately, Kosmas ended up narrowly defeating Cooper, winning her first term in the legislature 52–48%, by a little more than 2,000 votes.
Re-elections and later terms When Kosmas ran for re-election in 1998, she was opposed by Republican nominee Jerry Gardner, a staffer who had worked at the local state attorney's office and for the
State Senate's criminal justice committee. 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. Once again, the
News-Journal and the
Sentinel endorsed Kosmas, with the
Sentinel praising her for her knowledge and "deep concern for her community," while the
News-Journal praised "her record and her promise for greater service to come." Kosmas improved on her margin of victory, defeating Gardner 53–47%, winning by around 2,000 votes. In 2000, Kosmas ran for re-election against former
Volusia County School Board Member Deborah Denys, who focused her campaign on her support for charter schools and school vouchers. Kosmas argued that she was an independent legislator and that Denys would vote as "a rubber stamp for the leadership that's already there. She focused on her support for public schools and campaigned against Denys's proposal to provide public funds for private school vouchers, and noted her opposition to abortion regulations. Ultimately, despite the perceived closeness of the race, along with the closeness of the
presidential race in Florida, Kosmas vastly improved on her margin of victory over Denys, winning her third term 57–43%. Due to term limits, Kosmas ran for her fourth and final term in 2002, and she faced Denys once again. Even though her district became more Republican-leaning after redistricting, Kosmas staked out a big fundraising lead over Denys and drew on her popularity in the district. Denys attacked Kosmas for opposing the right to fly the American flag, opposing classrooms displaying the Constitution, and supporting providing drivers licenses to foreign nationals. She argued that the attacks were inaccurate and misstated her record. Ultimately, despite the changes to the district and Governor Jeb Bush's
landslide re-election, Kosmas won re-election by a wide margin, receiving 55% of the vote to Denys's 42% and
Libertarian nominee Mary Morelly's 3%. When Kosmas was term-limited in 2004, she was succeeded by Republican
Dorothy Hukill. ==U.S. House of Representatives==