In 1988 Schultz became an aide to Peter Deutsch at the beginning of his state legislative career. In 1992, Deutsch won election to the United States House of Representatives, which made his Florida post vancant. Schultz recalled getting a call from Deutsch at the time: "It was really amazing. He called me at home one day in the middle of the legislative session and he said, 'You could run in my race, your house is in my district.'" She had lived in the district for only three years. Schultz then won 53 percent of the vote in a six-way Democratic primary and avoided a runoff. She went on to win the general election and succeeded Deutsch in Florida's House of Representatives. At the age of 26, she became the youngest female legislator in Florida's history.