Shevrin Jones Poised to Become First Openly Gay Member of Florida State Senate After Primary Win

Florida Rep. Shevrin Jones, who was the target of homophobic attacks and survived a bout with COVID-19, is poised to become the first openly gay member of the state senate after winning his Senate District 35 primary on Tuesday night, beating his opponent, former state senator Daphne Campbell by a margin of 27 percent.

WE DID IT! WE, #ThePEOPLE just made HISTORY! Senate District 35 is in good hands! LETS GET BACK TO WORK! #WEthePEOPLE pic.twitter.com/6FwRISKEm5

— Shevrin Jones (@ShevrinJones) August 19, 2020

The Miami Herald reports: “Jones told the Miami Herald Tuesday night that his win represents a tone shift in South Florida, where other young, queer and Black candidates were successful Tuesday night. In District 88, Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Omari Hardy who is also Black and faced anti-gay slurs beat incumbent Rep. Al Jacquet by a large margin. In District 95, Jasmen Rogers-Shaw, a young, queer Black first-time candidate, narrowly lost her race with more than 49% of the votes against incumbent Rep. Anika Omphroy.”

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