TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — There are a lot of powerful seats up for grabs at the state Capitol in this year’s midterm election.
Some state lawmakers are resigning or being termed out, like State Senator Darryl Rouson, who represents parts of Hillsborough and St. Petersburg.
And with Rouson stepping down, two high-profile democrats are facing off to replace him, State Representative Michele Rayner (D-St. Petersburg) and House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D- Tampa).
No republican is competing in the general election, which means those August primary results will determine who wins the race.
Florida House of Representatives
Driskell shared in an interview with 8 On Your Side that she’s been inspired ever since she was a kid to believe that government could be a force for good.
“I finally ran in 2018 at a time where I felt like tensions were becoming heightened when it came to politics,” Driskell said. “And I didn’t like that it seemed that people on opposite sides of the aisle couldn’t talk to each other. I mean, even people that I grew up with, all of a sudden on Facebook, it’s like, we have to be enemies now. I don’t think that sits well with me.”
The leader calls herself a “consensus builder” and is excited to run for the Senate because she believes this district “deserves a fighter, someone who will work really hard to bring home resources on both sides of the bay.”
“People are concerned about rising costs, whether that is in terms of their property insurance, their rent, their health care, utilities, gas, everything is on the rise. And so, this is an issue that we must deal with, and it’s something that I’ve fought for my entire time in the House,” Driskell said. “You’ve probably heard me say that every Floridian deserves the freedom to be healthy, prosperous and safe. And when we talk about that prosperous piece, that’s about the cost. That’s what I really think we should be focused on, not so much the culture war issues, but how are we going to improve quality of life for everyday Floridians.”
Driskell has racked up support from former democratic senators who held the seat before, former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, police and fire unions on both sides of the bay, Florida Education Association, and Florida AFL-CIO.
“I think it would be the opportunity to do even more. I’ve been grateful for the ability to have been effective these past years, eight years,” Driskell said. “We’ve gotten some landmark legislation passed. I worked across the aisle to get a police reform bill passed in 2021. And we worked with Republican stakeholders, with community stakeholders to get that done. I’m so very proud of the work that we’ve done for sickle cell disease and improving access for patients across the state. Just this year alone, we got two and a half million dollars in the budget to help get residents who can’t afford access to treatments that cure the disease. There’s now a cure for sickle cell disease. That is huge.”
Florida House of Representatives
As for Rayner, she has her own list of backers, including 22 House Democrats, such as State Reps. Lindsay Cross and Anna Eskamani, well-known state senators, and local leaders like St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch and Pinellas County commissioners.
“I have fought with you in the courtroom. I have protested with you in the streets, and I’ve stood up for you in the state house. And that is what I will continue to do in the state senate,” Rayner said.
Rayner shared with 8 On Your Side that she started off her career as a civil rights attorney and has always been the type of legislator who is “people focused.”
“I started my career off as a civil rights attorney and really working in Clearwater with the young man, Markeis McGlockton’s family, who was shot and killed, and his killer was allowed to walk free for 25 days due to the Stand Your Ground law,” Rayner said. “And that is what really prompted me to really want to decide to go to the legislature and be able to take my experience as a lawyer and pair that with policy.”
Rayner said she was inspired to run for office by her mentor, Benjamin Crump, who saw something in her she didn’t see in herself at the time.
Some of her proudest acts as a legislator were her efforts that had a direct impact on people’s lives. Rayner highlighted an urban agriculture bill signed into law during her first year in office, a workforce program for CNAs, and online safety protection legislation for children.
“Who I am in the district is who I am in Tallahassee,” Rayner said. “There’s no changing with me. And I think that that’s what people crave. People are craving authenticity right now. They’re craving folks that are going to be exactly who they say they are. And that is what sets me apart. Just because you have a D behind your name doesn’t mean we’re all the same.”
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