Michele Rayner

Michele Rayner-Goolsby (born September 25, 1981) is an American politician, civil rights attorney, and social justice advocate. She has served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives since 2020, representing District 70 in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties. She is the first openly queer black woman elected to the Florida Legislature.

Michele Rayner-Goolsby
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 70th district
Assumed office
November 3, 2020
Preceded byWengay Newton
Personal details
Born (1981-09-25) September 25, 1981
Clearwater, Florida
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Bianca Goolsby
Alma materFlorida State University (B.S., M.S.)
Florida Coastal School of Law (J.D.)
ProfessionAttorney
Signature

Early life and career

Rayner was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida.[1] 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.[2][3] 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.[1]

Rayner is the lead counsel of her law firm, 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.[4]

Florida Legislature

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 her campaign, 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%.[5][6] Rayner was elected without opposition in the general election.

Rayner is the first black queer woman elected to Florida's Legislature. Rayner was endorsed by Equality Florida, the Florida Education Association, Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, and U.S. Representative Charlie Crist.[5][7] She was not endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County.[8]

Elections
2020 Florida's 70th House district Primary Election[9]
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%

Personal life

Rayner is a Black queer woman. She is married to Bianca Goolsby.[8]

References
  1. "Meet Michele". Civil Liberty Law. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  2. "Alum Wins Florida Legislative Seat | coss.fsu.edu". FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  3. Delgado, Jason (2020-06-29). "Meet Michele Rayner, a Democrat running for House District 70". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  4. "Shevrin Jones & Michele Rayner Make LGBTQ+ Election History in Florida". The Advocate. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  5. Snipe, Margo (2020-08-18). "Michele Rayner beats three others, winning Florida House District 70 seat". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  6. "Florida Department of State - Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  7. "Shevrin Jones and Michele Rayner-Goolsby: Florida just elected two 'unapologetic' Black queer lawmakers". PinkNews. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  8. McDonald, John (July 15, 2020). "Pinellas Stonewall Chapter Snubs Queer Black Woman". South Florida Gay News. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  9. "Florida's 70th House district Democratic Primary Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com.
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