Loranne Ausley vs. Corey Simon: Senate District 3 rivals have distinct stories to tell voters

Republican leaders quickly endorsed Corey Simon in a race to unseat Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, but Simon declined to endorse their legislative agenda that included a 15-week abortion ban, and restrictions on how racial history and sexuality is taught and discussed in public schools, all approved earlier this year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Wilton Simpson, and the next two President-designates, Naples’ Kathy Passidomo and Wauchula’s Ben Albritton all endorsed Simon immediately after the former Florida State University All-America defensive tackle filed papers to block Ausley’s reelection bid in Senate District 3.

When asked whether he supported the abortion ban, Stop WOKE Act, and a Parental Rights in Education law, all supported and promoted by DeSantis, Simpson and Passidomo, Simon deflected the questions.

“Those are discussions that we will have over the course of this campaign, and I’ll be able to take each one of those positions as they come,” said Simon.

“My job is to represent the people and sitting here giving you an answer today without talking to the people is just more of the kind of lip service that we don’t need,” Simon told the Democrat in an interview.

Corey Simon announces candidacy: Former FSU football star hopes to ride 'a really big red wave' over Sen. Loranne Ausley

'A formula to win'

Critics have derided the controversial legislative agenda during the 2022 legislative session as fuel for a culture-war centered fall election campaign.

One political scientist said given the split nature of Senate District 3 – thirteen rural counties with Tallahassee at its center – deemphasizing hot-button social issues makes sense for a Republican seeking to capture the lone Democratic-held seat between Jacksonville and Pensacola.

“If you can finesse the more controversial issues, keep your base, and get some crossovers, that’s a formula to win, particularly if Democratic turnout is somewhat depressed because of Biden’s low approval rating,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida.

Jewett is a co-author of Florida Politics, an extensive history of state politics and campaigns and said with half of the district living in  "liberal" Tallahassee, it is to Simon’s advantage to avoid discussion of the hot button social issues that motivates the Republican base.

“Often the danger to a Republican candidate who straddles is in the Republican primary. That’s where a lack of purity gets you called a RINO – Republican in Name Only. But there is no other Trump- or DeSantis-backed candidate here,” said Jewett.

Ausley won the district two years ago despite Republicans spending an estimated $5 million to defeat her.

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The last Senate Democrat to serve as Senate President was from District 3 – Quincy's Pat Thomas in 1994.

Republicians aim to make Ausley the last Democrat to represent SD 3.

Earlier this year, DeSantis waded into the once-in-a-decade redistricting process as part of his effort to produce what he called a “really big red wave” in November.

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DeSantis pressured lawmakers to redraw minority access districts for the congressional map and signed into law a state senate map that shifts SD 3 to the east.

Two years ago, Ausley carried 53% of the vote district wide but analysts point out she won by carrying the Tallahassee area with 60% of the vote, while scoring in the low 30s in the eight surrounding counties.

The new SD 3 picks up two additional counties adding more Republican-leaning voters added into the mix while retaining a city-country cousins' flavor.

The district runs from Port St. Joe in the west up to the Georgia border east to Hamilton County then south and west to the Gulf coast along the Dixie County shore, covering more than 10,000 square miles. 

About half the population live in the Tallahassee area and work in government, education and health care. The rest of the district is scattered among 10 counties in communities dependent on farming, fishing and logging.

The redrawn map reduces the Democrats a 9-point performance advantage to a 3-point spread.

President Joe Biden won the new district with 50% of the vote, while Hillary Clinton won the old with 54% in 2016.

“This is not good news for Ausley,” said Ausman about the GOP recruiting a FSU football legend as its standard-bearer – adding school loyalty into the GOP's mixture of enticements for voters.

Outside of Tallahassee, the 13 counties of SD 3 post bleak numbers for socio-economic health.

The poverty rate in six counties doubled the statewide average of 12%. Seven of the counties lost population in the past decade, while the other six were led by Leon whose growth was less than half of the state’s rate of 14%. And while the rest of Florida counties post a statewide high school graduation rate of 90%, just four SD 3 counties meet that mark.

More: Tallahassee grown: Sen. Loranne Ausley focuses on food, shelter, jobs | Political Profile

When asked about his plans to change those numbers, Simon said “we’ll have time in the near future,” to talk.

“What I bring to the table is an understanding from growing up in in South Florida, with a single mom, who worked extraordinarily hard to put food on the table,” said Simon. “My reason for serving my reason for engaging in the community doesn't come from a place of comfort. It comes from a place of understanding of the difficulties that our families face.”

Ausley served 12 years in the Florida House and when asked the same question connected the low socio-economic indicators to the policies advanced by Florida lawmakers.

“It’s no surprise that after decades of cuts to public education and rural health, our region is facing high poverty rates and lower graduation rates. I’ve spent a lot of time in these counties, speaking with community leaders, business owners, and workers about how we can work together to fix these issues,” said Ausley, adding that in the past two years she secured more than a $1 billion in infrastructure funding and workforce development for SD 3.

Both Ausley and Simon avoided primary campaigns when no one filed to oppose their party nominations.

The two go straight to the general election ballot with very different plans to engage voters.

Ausley has served 14 years in the Legislature and focus her pitch on policy.

Simon, a first-time candidate, has a compelling story; raised by a single mother and mentored by legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden.

Jewett said Simon may be executing an unusual but not unheard of strategy to avoid discussing policy in a campaign.

"But in my mind, it shows DeSantis and the Republican Party want to win. They want to get this seat and the idea of ideological purity no longer matters," said Jewett.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Corey Simon's position with the Seminoles.

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Loranne Ausley, Corey Simon battle for Florida Senate District 3