On a warm June evening in Orlando’s Eatonville community center, the room was buzzing not just with political discussion but with whispers about one family’s very public rift.
“I’m running for the people, not against my brother,”
said LaVon Bracy Davis, smiling tightly as she addressed a group of voters. Just weeks earlier, her brother, Randolph Bracy, had described her entry into the same Florida State Senate race as “disappointing and hurtful.”
This wasn’t just any campaign. This was family. And for the voters of Florida’s State Senate District 15, the June 24 Democratic primary offered more than politics it offered drama, legacy, and emotion.
The seat was left open following the February 13 passing of Senator Geraldine Thompson, a beloved civil rights advocate who spent years championing education, job creation, and equity in central Florida. District 15 which includes Orlando, Ocoee, Apopka, Eatonville, and Dr. Phillips is a Democratic stronghold where over half the voters are Black.
Thompson’s influence loomed large over this race. She was not only a political icon but also a close family friend of the Bracys.
“She believed in community-first leadership,”
LaVon Davis noted in a campaign stop, vowing to carry forward Thompson’s legacy.
The results were clear: LaVon Bracy Davis secured a decisive victory, earning 42.96% of the vote (5,533 votes). She was followed by Coretta Anthony Smith with 28.31%, Alan Grayson with 16.72%, and Randolph Bracy trailing at 12.02% just 1,548 votes.
LaVon now advances to the September 2 general election, where she’ll face Republican Willie Montague in a district that heavily favors Democrats.
The total turnout stood at 12,880 votes, a solid showing for a special election triggered by Thompson’s unexpected death due to complications from surgery.
Randolph Bracy, age 48, is no political newcomer. A former State Senator and one-time pro basketball player, he served District 11 and the Florida House before that. His platform focused on housing, transit, and mental health. Yet the most talked-about aspect of his campaign was his public heartbreak.
“It’s hurtful. Honestly, our father would have been disgusted,”
Randolph told hypefresh.
“It’s one thing to run—but another to run against your brother.”
LaVon, 45, an attorney and current State Representative, kept her response composed.
“I love my brother. But this isn’t about him. This is about continuing a legacy for our people.”
And then came the plot twist.
Their mother, Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy, a civil rights legend and author of Beyond Bravery, publicly endorsed and managed her daughter’s campaign just as she had supported Thompson over Randolph in the 2024 primary.
“This isn’t about picking sides,”
she said at a rally.
“It’s about who can best serve the community Geraldine loved.”
A longtime ally of Thompson, Dr. Bracy had even served as her maid of honor decades ago. Her backing carried moral weight in the district and perhaps sealed Randolph’s political fate.
The unusual family rivalry captivated social media. Campaign flyers reading “Bracy Yourself!” spread across Facebook and X , sparking memes, reactions, and debates. One user posted:
“Only in Florida can an election feel like an episode of Family Feud.”
The Bracy family is woven into Orlando’s civic fabric. Their father, Randolph Bracy Jr., was a pastor and local NAACP leader. Now, that legacy is evolving, sometimes painfully, on a very public stage.
LaVon’s win signals not only a political shift but also the growing voice of women and civil rights heirs in Florida politics. She heads into the general election bolstered by her family’s story and the backing of a legacy that extends beyond bloodlines.
