Kelly Hayes
EMILY’s List, the largest national resource for women in politics, is backing state Rep. Michele Rayner in her campaign for Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
The organization works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, offering support with more than five million members. EMILY’s List applauded Rayner for her service as a public defender and her work in her own law firm, where she advocates for civil rights.
The group also noted Rayner’s vocal opposition to Florida’s controversial parental rights legislation governing schools, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents. After winning election in 2020, Rayner became the first openly gay woman of color to serve in the Florida Legislature.
“EMILY’s List is proud to endorse Florida state Rep. Michele Rayner, a groundbreaking leader with a deep commitment to her community. She has earned a reputation as a powerful advocate for Floridians whose voices too often go unheard in the halls of power, and she has fought back against the extreme Republican agenda in Florida, including an abortion ban and the #DontSayGay bill,” Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’s List, said in a statement.
“As a civil rights and social justice attorney with lived experience as an openly LGBTQ+ Black woman, Rayner brings a vital perspective to the toughest challenges facing Florida and our country. No state has ever before elected an openly LGBTQ+ Black woman to Congress, and Rayner has what it takes to be the first. This is a crucial race for control of the House, and EMILY’s List knows Rayner has what it takes to win.”
Since launching her congressional campaign, Rayner has garnered endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Victory Fund, Equality PAC, Democracy for America, LPAC, Collective PAC, Elect Democratic Women PAC and National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).
Florida’s CD 13 race will be one of the most closely watched in the 2022 midterms. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is leaving a seat previously long held by Republicans. The race could help shift the balance of power in Washington.
Rayner faces fellow state Rep. Ben Diamond and former Barack Obama administration official Eric Lynn in the Democratic Primary for CD 13.
The winner of the Democratic Primary will face off against either Air Force veteran Anna Paulina Luna, Republican strategist Amanda Makki, nonprofit founder Audrey Henson, former prosecutor Kevin Hayslett or Christine Quinn.
Makki lost the Republican Primary to Luna in 2020. Crist then beat Luna in the General Election with 53% of the vote.
Democrats have a voter registration advantage of 20,000 over Republicans in the district, but Republican presence has been growing since the GOP lost the seat to Crist.
2 comments
Ron Ogden
March 2, 2022 at 1:51 pm
As the only woman D in the race. . . .
Say, if either Rep. Diamond or Eric Lynn had declared he identifies as female, would she (or he, or whatever) have had a claim on the Emily’s List endorsement? Just wonderin’ . Perhaps Kelly Hayes could ask.
Crystal Burgos
March 3, 2022 at 11:43 am
If Emily’s List supports a candidate, that guarantees that I will both campaign and vote against that candidate. They are the epitome of the ‘WOKE GENERATION”. However, I have woken up to their asinine positions on all issues!
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