Former Florida Senator Endorses Corey Simon's Opponent, Attacked by the GOP

TALLAHASSEE, FL—In what is shaping up to be a hotly contested race in Florida's Senate District 3, a former Democratic Senator ousted from her seat by Republican Corey Simon has endorsed his frontrunning opponent: former co-counsel for Trayvon Martin's family, Daryl Parks.

One-term Democratic Senator Loranne Ausley served in the traditionally blue SD 3, which encompasses 13 North Florida counties. During Florida's red-shifted 2022 elections, former NFL star Corey Simon unseated Ausley by just under 13,000 votes—becoming the district's first Republican Senator in over a decade.

Now, Ausley has endorsed civil rights attorney Daryl Parks, who is attempting to take the seat back for the Democrats. Perhaps most famously, Parks was the co-counsel for Trayvon Martin's family—the black teen whose murder sparked the Black Lives Matter movement in 2012.

"He's relying on our help, and I hope you will join me in helping provide the resources Daryl needs to jumpstart his campaign today," Ausley said in an email posted online.

Parks, who raised over $100,000 24 hours after his campaign announcement, has just one opponent for the Democratic nomination to face Simon: Gadsden County Commissioner Eugene Kimblin Nesmith.

GOP Chairman Evan Power posted Ausley's email to X, attacking the former Senator for her efforts to help Parks unseat Simon.

"Failed radical leftist Loranne Ausley is trying to defeat accomplished Senator Corey Simon," Power wrote, before posting a link to Simon's campaign page and asking fellow Republicans to support his "friend".

Ausley, who served 12 years in the Florida House and two in the Senate, was a strong advocate for children and disabled Floridians, spearheading Whole Child Leon—a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and parents—and bringing Purpose Built Communities to her hometown of Tallahassee.

Purpose Built Communities, a non-profit, is dedicated to revitalizing neighborhoods to "create greater racial equity, economic mobility, and improved health outcomes for families and children," their website reads.