Gov. DeSantis has not yet announced special election
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
Gov. Ron DeSantis has not yet announced a special election to fill the seat of the late state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, but two siblings are already running fill it.
Siblings Randolph Bracy III, a former state senator, and current state Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-District 40, have announced their campaigns for Senate District 15.
Bracy held the District 15 seat from 2016 to 2022 before vacating it for a congressional bid. Rep. Maxwell Frost defeated him in the 2022 Democratic primary. Last November, Bracy lost a Senate District 15 primary race to Thompson, who garnered more than 60 percent of the vote.
He announced his latest campaign in a Feb. 14 Instagram video.
“I’m currently in Amalfi Coast, Italy, and I’ve been receiving a number of calls, text messages asking if I’m going to run for my old Senate seat, District 15,” Bracy said. “The answer is yes, I will be seeking election to District 15. God bless.”
Bracy Davis announced her campaign for District 15 in a March 21 Facebook video.
“Today I stand with deep gratitude, purpose and reverence for a pioneer who paved the way, Senator Geraldine Thompson,” Bracy Davis said. “Senator Thompson dedicated her life to uplifting our community and fighting for those whose voices too often go unheard. With the blessing of her beloved family and a heart full of purpose, I am proud to announce my intention to run for Florida State Senate District 15.”
Touching upon community issues such as affordable housing, racial and social equity, the right to vote and more, Bracy Davis said courageous leadership and steady commitment are needed to navigate families and neighborhoods through such challenges.
“Orange County deserves bold and fearless leadership, leadership that stands strong when the fight gets tough, leadership that delivers real results,” Bracy Davis said. “This campaign will be about honoring our past while building a future we all can be proud of, because progress never pauses, and neither can we, but I can’t do this alone.”
Bracy Davis called for the passing of the Florida Voting Rights Act, a bill that Thompson first filed, at a March 26 news conference in Tallahassee.
The Florida Voting Rights Act would set up same-day voter registration, restore voting rights to returning citizens, make general Election Day a state holiday, make translation services available at voting precincts, repeal restrictions on third-party voter registration groups, and create a Florida Voting Rights Act commission to oversee and protect voters.
“We’re here today to champion the Florida Voting Rights Act, Senate Bill 1582 and House Bill 1409, a piece of good, common-sense legislation that does what democracy demands: protect the rights of every voter in our state,” Bracy Davis said.
Bracy Davis told Florida Politics that she does not want the race to become personal.
“I love my brother and I wish him well,” she said.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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