A slate of Hillsborough County elected officials have announced their endorsement of Rep. Michele Rayner<\/strong> for re-election in the state House.<\/span><\/p>\n Included in the list of endorsers is Tampa Mayor Jane<\/strong> Castor<\/strong>, who has led the city since 2019. Both Castor and Rayner have broken barriers for the LGBTQ community. Castor became Tampa\u2019s first openly gay Mayor upon her election, and Rayner is the first openly gay Black woman to serve in the Legislature.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to endorse Michele Rayner for her re-election to the Florida State House,\u201d Castor said in a statement. \u201cShe has a record of using her platform and voice for those who need it the most including our LGBTQ+ families, workers, tenants, and small businesses. As the only LGBT Black woman in the Florida Legislature, her voice is invaluable and critically needed to ensure that all families are represented.\u201d<\/p>\n State Attorney Andrew Warren\u00a0<\/strong>joined Castor in endorsing Rayner. Warren, who has served as State Attorney since 2016, is a progressive leader in Tampa Bay. Since his initial election, he has implemented<\/a><\/strong> a series of criminal justice reforms.<\/p>\n \u201cMichele Rayner is a proven leader for our community,\u201d Warren said in a statement. \u201cTogether we have fought for crime victims, supported programs that keep kids safe, and promoted smart criminal justice reforms. Michele shares my vision for a fair criminal justice system that invests resources prosecuting violent felons and steers low-level offenders away from crime. Michele Rayner is the reliable advocate we need in Tallahassee. Please join me in supporting Michele Rayner for State Representative District 62.\u201d<\/p>\n Hillsborough County Commission chair Kimberly Overman <\/strong>and\u00a0Commissioner Gwen<\/strong> Myers<\/strong> also offered their support, along with Hillsborough Property Appraiser Bob<\/strong> Henriquez<\/strong>, Tax Collector Nancy<\/strong> Milan<\/strong>\u00a0and Public Defender Julie<\/strong> Holt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI am supporting Michele Rayner in her re-election campaign to the Florida State House because she is an advocate for local governments and the people we serve,\u201d Overman said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cMichele has used her platform to amplify the voices of our communities and pass legislation to address food insecurity and create jobs. Florida families and individuals need the people that they elected to be advocates and to solve problems, especially now. Michele has a record of doing just that and Hillsborough County residents will benefit from her invaluable representation.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayner has picked up a slew of endorsements from Tampa Bay Democratic leaders since reentering the state legislative race. Most recently, Rayner reported endorsements from St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always carried and will continue to carry the people\u2019s voice,\u201d Rayner said in a statement. \u201cI am grateful to have the support of Hillsborough County leaders from every sector of our local government.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayner recently <\/span>suspended her congressional bid<\/a><\/strong> due to a controversial <\/span>redistricting plan<\/a><\/strong> which turned Florida\u2019s 13th Congressional District from purple to a light shade of red. The new district extends further north into traditionally red parts of Pinellas County and eliminates parts of St. Petersburg, the currently drawn district\u2019s largest city and a Democratic stronghold.<\/span><\/p>\n Rayner currently represents House District 70, which covers parts of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties. With the new maps, she\u2019ll be running in House District 62, pitting her against former Democratic Rep. <\/span>Wengay Newton<\/strong><\/span><\/a> in the Primary.<\/span><\/p>\n Newton held the HD 70 seat before Rayner. He ran an <\/span>unsuccessful<\/strong> campaign for Mayor of St. Pete in 2021<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, pitting him against Welch in the Primary. But Rayner is bringing in a hefty war chest from her congressional race. Newton\u2019s campaign has raised just under $28,000, while Rayner\u2019s has more than $220,000 in cash on hand.<\/span><\/p>\n Rayner is a civil rights lawyer and social justice advocate who previously served as an Assistant Public Defender, legislative aide and counsel for the local NAACP Legal Defense Fund.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mosaic-Banner_728-x-90_v1.png\")
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