Tracie Davis cruises to laugher win in SD 5 Primary

It was over before the votes were counted.

Sen. Tracie Davis destroyed Primary challenger Francky Jeanty by a 95% to 5% margin, removing the last vestiges of drama from one of the most curious challenges anywhere in Florida and winning all precincts.

Financial disparities made the outcome obvious.

Jeanty had less than $900 cash on hand as of early August. A political newcomer, the Haitian American is a graduate of Edward Waters University (EWU), a published author of a motivational book, a self-described “educational consultant,” a former student recruiter for Keiser College, a former admissions counselor for EWU, and a former manager at a car rental dealership.

Davis, who has been active in politics since 2015 and in Tallahassee since 2017, had nearly $59,000 as of Aug. 2. She also had roughly $197,000 in her political committee, Together We Stand. She is slated to lead the Democratic Caucus in 2026.

Davis got roughly 70% of the vote in 2022’s Primary against former City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Sr., but Jeanty said before the election that happened because people were “not really focused on the Primary.”

Whether people were focused this time out is an open question, but Jeanty did much worse than Gaffney, who fundraised and advertised heavily to no avail.