Cynthia Moore Chestnut, a Gainesville Democrat who once wanted to lead the Florida Democratic Party, is facing criticism for supporting Republican Byron Donalds’ bid for Governor.
Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis called out Moore Chestnut’s endorsement on social media.
“People will remember this. Democrats will remember this. Black voters will remember this. Gainesville will remember this. Alachua County will remember this. And yes, your constituents will remember this,” wrote Bracy Davis, an Ocoee Democrat.
Moore Chestnut, a former Representative, currently serves as a Gainesville City Commissioner.
She unsuccessfully ran for Florida Democratic Party Chair in 2021 and also was an adviser to Andrew Gillum, who lost the Governor’s race in 2018.
“My endorsement of Byron Donalds is not a betrayal of my values; it is a declaration that Black voters are not political property,” Moore Chestnut, who is Black, wrote on social media to defend her support of Donalds, who would be Florida’s first Black Governor if elected in November.
“We are not to be taken for granted, spoken to only during election season or expected to fall in line while our concerns are ignored.”
Donalds also recently picked up support from Orlando personal injury lawyer John Morgan’s firm, which wrote Donalds’ PAC a $1 million check on Aug. 26.
Bracy Davis wrote a lengthy post about Moore Chestnut’s decision.
“Byron Donalds voted against the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. That is not opinion. That is his voting record. And just last week, when asked whether he would support the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act, legislation that I am proud to sponsor, Byron Donalds said NO. That legislation is named for two Black Floridians who were murdered after dedicating their lives to registering Black voters and fighting for our political power,” Bracy Davis said.
“And let me tell you why I take this personally. I have spent the last four years in the Florida Legislature fighting a gubernatorial administration and a political agenda that, in my view, has repeatedly targeted the very things generations of Black Floridians fought to secure: voting rights, Black history, diversity, equity and inclusion, access to opportunity, and the ability of Black communities to have our voices heard.
“I have sat in those committee rooms. I have stood on the floor in both chambers. I have watched legislation pass that I believe takes us backward, and I have fought it with everything I have. So yes, this one hits differently.”
