Florida Senate District 15 primary voters chose state Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis as the Democratic candidate for the upcoming special general election in a landslide victory Tuesday night.
With all 102 precincts reporting, Bracy Davis garnered 5,533 votes, good for almost 43% of the vote in a four-way race. Coretta Anthony-Smith finished a distant second with 28.31% of the vote, followed by former U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson (16.72%) and Randolph Bracy III (12.02%), who is the brother of Bracy Davis.
“I’m happy that we had this opportunity to offer the voters a real choice and to provide hope for a better tomorrow,” Grayson said to the Chief.
Bracy Davis is the daughter of two prominent civil rights activists and currently resides in Ocoee with her husband. After receiving her law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law, Bracy Davis worked as a senior attorney at the Florida Department of Children and Families.
As state representative, she advocated for juvenile justice reform and acquired millions in arts funding. Bracy Davis will run against Republican Willie Montague on Sep. 2 in the general special election.
Anthony-Smith and Grayson had previously shared their visions for the district at a forum held in Apopka, although the Bracy siblings did not attend.
The governor announced the special election after Sen. Geraldine Thompson died from knee surgery complications on Feb. 13. Following three decades of service in the Orange County education system, Thompson served in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. She also authored Black America: Orlando, Florida, establishing herself as a historian.
“I recognize that I am standing on the shoulders of the greats who came before me—especially my mentor, the late Sen. Geraldine F. Thompson,” Bracy Davis said in the Orlando Sentinel. “I promise to carry forward her legacy with integrity, courage, and a deep commitment to justice.”
The western side of Florida Senate District 15 covers Apopka, Lockhart, Clarcona and Ocoee, with Florida’s Turnpike serving as its southwest border. I-4 serves as the eastern border, and it intersects with Florida’s Turnpike just north of the district’s southeastern border.
Bracy Davis announced in April her resignation, effective Sept. 1, from her House District 40 seat to run for the open Senate seat. Her legislative aide RaShon Young won Tuesday’s Democratic primary to fill her current seat in the House. Young credits Bracy Davis as his mentor,.
“RaShon has been in the trenches with me from day one,” Bracy Davis said on Young’s campaign site. “He knows the district, he knows the issues, and he knows the people. I wholeheartedly and proudly endorse him to be my successor.”
Young ran against former state Rep. Travaris McCurdy, who had served as legislative aide to both Thompson and Bracy. McCurdy posted a statement on Instagram after the loss.
“While tonight’s results weren’t what we hoped for, I remain proud of the campaign we built, the conversations we had, and the vision we put forward for District 40,” McCurdy said. “Your belief in a better future fuels me to keep fighting, in the community, through advocacy, and wherever I’m called to serve next.”
Orange County will hold the special general election for both races on Sept. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bracy and Young did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
