State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith slammed Orlando Commissioner Jim Gray’s “homophobic” mailer used for his reelection campaign, calling it “desperate” and saying it was a “clearly bigoted dog whistle.”
Republican Jim Gray sent the political mailer to voters, including his constituent Senator Carlos Smith, which tries to attack his opponent Tom Keen, a Democrat, as a “liberal extremist” by using photos of State Representative and Orlando mayoral candidate Anna Eskamani, the Rainbow Democrats, Equality Florida, and Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith in a blatant attempt to say the LGBTQ community is his enemy.
Jim Gray’s “homophobic” mailer asks voters: “Whose side are you on?” – a very politically divisive statement. It ends by saying: “The choice is simple: Turn over Orlando to complete Liberal Democrat Control OR Re-elect Jim Gray to the Orlando City Commission.”
That is a very odd position to take in Orlando, and it is extremely disturbing that Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has not condemned his friend and political ally on the City Council. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, supposedly still a Democrat, has endorsed Jim Gray for City Commissioner repeatedly over the years.
The mailer took aim at Anna Eskamani who is running to replace Buddy Dyer as Mayor in 2027, calling her a “radical socialist.” Wow, Commissioner Gray – those are definitely fighting words. Jim Gray called the Rainbow Democrats an “LGBTQIA_ Democratic Party advocate,” and labeled Equality Florida as a “left-wing PAC.” Jim Gray also attacked his constituent, calling Carlos Smith “anti-DeSantis/anti-Trump” – so voters can assume Jim Gray is a pro-DeSantis and pro-Trump member of the Orlando City Council.
“I DO NOT appreciate this homophobic mailer ‘approved by Jim Gray for Orlando City Commission.’ The targeting of Rainbow Dems, Equality Florida, Rep. Eskamani in a cute rainbow dress, and me— your elected State Senator who just happens to be LGBTQ— is no coincidence,” State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith posted in response to Jim Gray’s mailer. “This desperate and clearly bigoted dog whistle is not okay. We deserve better. As a constituent of Jim Gray’s, I’M VOTING FOR TOM KEEN!”
When asked about Commissioner Jim Gray’s political attacks, City of Orlando spokesperson Ashley Papagni said Mayor Buddy Dyer was “not in the office” so he was unavailable to respond prior to publication. Dyer endorsed Jim Gray again. She declined to state if those political attacks on Eskamani, Carlos Smith and the LGBTQ community were inappropriate. I guess we now know how Mayor Buddy Dyer really feels about other Orlando Democrats and his possible successor, Eskamani. City Commissioner Tony Ortiz also endorsed Gray, showing he is no “Democrat” even though he declared he left the GOP and joined the Democratic Party.
West Orlando News also reached out to Jim Gray and asked him if he had a response to State Senator Carlos Smith, a constituent, calling his campaign mailer a “homophobic mailer” which Gray approved. Jim Gray did not respond to Smith’s claims that Jim Gray’s attack on LGBT+ is ” no coincidence” and the mailer was “desperate” and was a “clearly bigoted dog whistle.”
The election for the District 1 Orlando City Council is November 4, 2025. District 3 and District 5 will also vote for City Commissioners.