Following the inability of Ron Greenstein to seek re-election to the Florida House of Representatives in 2006, Waldman ran to succeed him in the 95th District, which stretched from Coconut Creek to Pompano Beach in northeastern Broward County. In the Democratic primary, he faced Amy Shapiro Rose and Chris Finnegan. During the campaign, Rose attacked Waldman for making a loan to a businessman arrested for insurance fraud and for not living in the district, while Waldman emphasized his experience in municipal government. Waldman was endorsed by the Broward Teachers Union, the Broward County Council of Professional Firefighters, and the Broward County Police Benevolent Association, while Rose was endorsed by the Broward AFL-CIO, the National Alliance of Retired Americans, and the National Organization of Women. He was also endorsed by the "Sun-Sentinel" which noted, "His community and political experience, and his ideas, are clearly superior to his competitors," though they noted that his association with a convicted business partner was "troubling." Waldman ended up narrowly defeating narrowly defeated Amy Shapiro Rose and Chris Finnegan, winning with 45% of the vote, compared to Rose's 40% and Finnegan's 15%, and was unopposed in the general election. In 2008, Waldman faced only write-in opposition and won re-election with nearly 100% of the vote.