With everything that’s happened in the past few weeks, Central Floridians may have forgotten that two legislative seats will be decided next week in a special election.
Tuesday, voters will select a replacement for the late Sen. Geraldine Thompson, an Orlando Democrat who died Feb. 13 after surgery. In June, State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, who regarded Thompson as a mentor and close friend, handily won the four-candidate Democratic primary for the Senate District 15 seat. Bracy Davis had to resign from the House to run for the Senate, creating a second vacancy to be filled at the polls on Sept. 2. RaShon Young, chief of staff in Bracy Davis’ legislative office, won June’s Democratic primary for House District 40.
For both of these candidates, the primary was the real test. Now voters should put both Young and Bracy Davis to work on their behalf. And that’s the likely outcome: Both House and Senate districts are heavily Democratic, serving many of the same neighborhoods. Both primaries attracted candidates with broad appeal, giving voters a good chance to take their measure.
For Senate District 15: LaVon Bracy Davis
The District 15 Democratic primary gave Bracy Davis formidable opponents, including attorney Coretta Anthony-Smith and former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson. The fourth candidate in that race was former State Sen. Randolph Bracy — Bracy Davis’s older brother and a former senator himself. Matching her skills against the other candidates let Bracy Davis prove that her priorities are squarely in line with those of the district she seeks to serve.
She’s a strong advocate for public education and health care access, and during her House service we’ve rarely seen her compromise on her beliefs. But she also has a gift for the kind of collaboration and across-the-aisle relationships that give her legislative proposals and budget requests a better chance of surviving the chaotic legislative process. In Tallahassee, the deck is undeniably stacked to favor Republicans, but Bracy Davis was still able to score significant achievements.
Tuesday, she’s up against Republican Willie Montague, a perennial candidate who’s sought public office four times with no success. While we appreciate Montague’s work as the founder of the nonprofit Timothy House, a charity that serves young men, we haven’t seen anything in his current campaign efforts that suggests he’s abandoned the far-right, often contradictory positions he’s embraced in previous elections.
The Orlando Sentinel endorses LaVon Bracy Davis for Senate District 15.
House District 40: RaShon Young
In the House District 40 race, Young also faced an experienced primary opponent, former state Rep. Travaris McCurdy. In our endorsement, we gave McCurdy the slight edge but found that either man would do a credible job as a state lawmaker.
Young, who sailed through the primary with 55% of the vote, will now go up against businessman Tuan Le (a Republican) and Christopher Hall (a write-in candidate).
We’re not sure why either man bothered to run at all. The state’s campaign finance database reveals that Le has yet to file a single report detailing campaign contributions and expenses. He hasn’t even explained how he came up with the filing fee. Four letters from state elections officials, starting in April, suggest that Le may have racked up fines as high as $500 a day for his failure to file, though that sanction has not yet been finalized.
We’re even more mystified by write-in candidate Hall. According to his filing documents, Hall lives in Tallahassee.
Fortunately, District 40 voters have a candidate they can happily vote for. During his term as legislative aide, Young directly helped many District 40 constituents — service that allowed him to know the district inside and out. And he plans to pursue priorities, particularly health-care access and better public schools, that match well with District 40’s needs.
The Orlando Sentinel endorses RaShon Young for state House District 40.
Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, reflecting our values and priorities for the community. Our reporters and news editors do not participate in endorsement decisions.
We urge voters to not rely solely on our opinions in deciding how to cast a vote. Voters should check the candidates’ campaign websites and social media accounts (if they don’t have either, that should be a red flag). Ask friends and neighbors what they think. Google the candidates and check out their campaign finances.
The editorial board consists of Executive Editor Roger Simmons, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Insight Editor Jay Reddick. Send emails to insight@orlandosentinel.com.
