Daniel Figueroa IV
State Rep. Michele Rayner has added endorsements from nine of her fellow state legislators in her bid for Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
Four local elected officials also endorsed Rayner, adding to recent endorsements from a slate of Pinellas officials and three sitting members of Congress she hopes to soon call colleagues.
State Sens. Shevrin Jones and Bobby Powell are endorsing, as are state Reps. Christopher Benjamin, Dianne Hart, Travaris McCurdy, Angie Nixon, Felicia Robinson, Susan Valdés and Marie Woodson. They are joined by Hillsborough County School Board members Karen Perez and Jessica Vaughn, as well as Westlake Commissioner Katrina Long-Robinson and Tallahassee Commissioner Jeremy Matlow.
“In the wake of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill being signed, I am grateful for my colleagues across the state who have stepped up to support my candidacy for Florida’s 13th Congressional District,” Rayner said. “The support systems we have at work, school and in our personal lives are instrumental in our livelihoods. Some public officials in our state have dedicated this past Session to removing support systems from our most vulnerable, but I will continue to work in partnership with my colleagues, our communities, and our shared constituencies to make sure no child or family is left without one.”
HB 1557, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, has brought national attention to Florida and hits particularly close to home for Rayner, the first Black openly queer woman to serve in the Legislature. The Jones endorsement carries added weight as he is the first openly gay Florida Senator. Rayner is the only Black person and only member of the LGBTQ community running in CD 13.
“Michele is a beacon of light and hope for the future of our state and country,” Jones said. “She answered the call to serve and showed up as her authentic self each and every day. To see someone rooted in their purpose and their unshakeable quest for justice and equality is truly inspiring. It is also exactly what is needed to reverse course and make sure that our LGBTQ youth and families are protected, our government focuses on solving issues people are really concerned about like the affordable housing crisis, and our democracy becomes an example for others to follow.”
Rayner also boasts endorsements from EMILY’s List, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Victory Fund, Equality PAC, Democracy for America, LPAC, Collective PAC, Elect Democratic Women PAC and National Black Justice Coalition.
Rayner will face state Rep. Ben Diamond and Barack Obama administration official Eric Lynn in the Democratic Primary for CD 13.
The seat, being vacated by gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, is one of the most closely watched and most crucial of the 2022 midterms. The winner of the Democratic Primary will face off against either former prosecutor Kevin Hayslett, nonprofit founder Audrey Henson, Air Force veteran Anna Paulina Luna, Republican strategist Amanda Makki 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.
Crist’s seat is considered highly competitive. 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.
