Jacob Ogles
Regardless of whether former Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis wins her Senate race, someone must soon fill her House District 40 seat. Voters on Tuesday will decide her successor in a Special Election in House District 40.
Democrat RaShon Young, Bracy Davis’ former Chief of Staff, Tuan Le, a Republican who challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost but lost in a GOP Primary, and write-in candidate Chris Hall are running.
Young won a Democratic Primary earlier this year over former Rep. Travaris McCurdy. He has long planned to run for his boss’s seat when she moves on from the job, and said his experience makes him the best choice.
“As we close out this race, I want to take a moment to say how truly humbling this journey has been. Over the past months, I have listened, I have learned, and I have grown. I have walked with you through your neighborhoods, sat at your kitchen tables, and heard the stories of both your struggles and your hopes. And I stand here ready, ready to fight with everything in me for the people of District 40 and for the people of Florida,” he told Florida Politics.
“We are living in a time of turmoil. Families are being crushed by this awful affordability crisis. Too many are being stripped of their access to affordable health care. And our very voices at the ballot box are under attack. But let me be clear: we will not back down.”
Le ran on business issues including zoning equity, business tax credits and workforce education. He has stated that the urban district needs attention from the state, which should focus on economic issues.
“It is time to improve District 40 that was left behind in the last 40 years,” he wrote on his website. “Together, we can create opportunities for our community, children and small businesses, ensuring a thriving economy and a brighter future for all in District 40.”
The former NASA electrical engineer has started several restaurants and other businesses. He also worked in government auditing for the city of Titusville.
Hall was working as a security guard at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee at the time he qualified for the Central Florida seat.
RaShon heads into the Special Election as a heavy favorite. Almost 67% of voters in the district supported Democrat Kamala Harris for President in November, even as Republican Donald Trump won 56% of the vote statewide, according to MCI Maps.
Bracy Davis won re-election in the district in November with almost 68% of the vote, defeating Republican Belinda Ford.
Young also raised almost $98,000 in his official candidate account, while Le never filed a fundraising report.
