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Michele Rayner

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Michele Kenyette Rayner
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 62nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 3, 2020
Preceded byWengay Newton
Personal details
Born (1981-09-25) September 25, 1981 (age 43)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationFlorida State University (BS, MS)
Florida Coastal School of Law (JD)
Signature

Michele Kenyette Rayner (born September 25, 1981) is an American attorney and politician. She has served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020, representing District 62 in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.[1] She was the first openly lesbian Black woman elected to the Florida Legislature, originally representing House District 70.

Early life and career

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Rayner was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida.[2] She attended Florida State University, receiving her B.S. in international affairs and political science in 2003, and M.S. in international affairs in 2006.[3][4] After graduating from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2011 and being admitted to the Florida Bar, she returned to Clearwater and worked as an assistant public defender in the state's Sixth Judicial Circuit, and then as a lawyer in private practice.[2]

Rayner is the lead counsel of Civil Liberty Law. She was also the local counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She is a member of the Fred G. Minnis Sr. Bar Association and Delta Sigma Theta.[5]

Florida Legislature

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In 2020, Rayner ran for the Florida House of Representatives seat vacated by Wengay Newton, who opted to run for the Pinellas County Commission. Rayner raised $116,900 in campaign funds, over double that of her nearest competitor. Rayner garnered 31.3% of the vote against three other candidates in the Democratic primary, with second-place finisher Keisha Bell receiving 26.8%.[6][7] Rayner was elected without opposition in the general election.

Rayner is the first black lesbian woman elected to Florida's legislature. She was endorsed by Equality Florida, the Florida Education Association, Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist, and Florida state representative Jennifer Webb.[6][8][9] She was not endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County.[9]

In April 2022, Rayner argued that the effort to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement Act was emblematic of the "deep selfishness and the deep blind political ambition" of Ron DeSantis, and adding that it is "unconscionable" that he is doing this effort on the "backs of working people."[10]

On April 21, 2022, Rayner attempted to stage a sit-in demonstration to prevent a vote on Florida's congressional district maps.[11] Opponents of the tactic compared her actions to an insurrection.[12] The demonstration was ultimately unsuccessful.

Elections

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2020 Florida's 70th House district primary election[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Michele Rayner 7,998 31.3
Democratic Keisha Bell 6,858 26.8
Democratic Michelle Grimsley 5,998 23.4
Democratic Mark Oliver 4,733 18.5
Total votes 25,587 100%

References

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  1. ^ "House District: 62". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Meet Michele". Civil Liberty Law. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Alum Wins Florida Legislative Seat | coss.fsu.edu". FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. August 20, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  4. ^ Delgado, Jason (June 29, 2020). "Meet Michele Rayner, a Democrat running for House District 62". Florida Politics. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "Shevrin Jones & Michele Rayner Make LGBTQ+ Election History in Florida". The Advocate. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Snipe, Margo (August 18, 2020). "Michele Rayner beats three others, winning Florida House District 70 seat". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  8. ^ "Shevrin Jones and Michele Rayner: Florida just elected two 'unapologetic' Black queer lawmakers". PinkNews. November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  9. ^ a b McDonald, John (July 15, 2020). "Pinellas Stonewall Chapter Snubs Lesbian black Woman". South Florida Gay News. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Call, James (April 21, 2022). "A smaller world for Disney? Florida lawmakers revoke special self-governing status". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Gaudiano, Kimberly Leonard, Nicole. "Florida House Republicans compare a Democratic protest against redistricting to the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol". Business Insider. Retrieved January 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "Florida approves DeSantis-backed congressional maps that dismantle Black lawmaker's seat". POLITICO. April 21, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "Florida's 70th House district Democratic Primary Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com.
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