“A better you. A better me. A better us.”

With that statement, Democrat Randolph Bracy III, 47, who served for eight years in the Florida Legislature before making an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2022, frequently says — on social media, on television — that he wants to “start a movement.” The thrust of the movement, is that “when we become our best selves, we are able to change this community, change this state and change this nation.”

Those are inspiring words, to be sure, from the Jacksonville-born son of Central Florida civil rights leaders, Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy, who integrated Gainesville High School in 1961, and the late Rev. Dr. Randolph Bracy, Jr., former president of Orange County's NAACP and founder of Orlando’s New Covenant Baptist Church.

But there has been no explanation of how his movement aims to bring about change since Bracy announced in late 2023  he was challenging his former colleague, incumbent State Sen. Geraldine F. Thompson to represent Senate District 15 in the upcoming Aug. 20 primary election.

There are no Republican challengers, so the primary is open to all voters, and the winner will head to Tallahassee. Early voting takes place Aug. 5-18, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily.  See our list for locations. To vote by mail, request your ballot by Aug. 8 and return it to the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Aug. 20.

Vague outlines  

Bracy and Thompson have traded this seat through the years. Thompson held it before Bracy did in 2016, and she won it again when Bracy left the senate to run for Congressional District 10, ultimately won by Maxwell Frost, in 2022.

Bracy is not shy about posting his aspirations for the Florida governor’s mansion and the White House. And his campaign website  is a testament to his past legislative accomplishments, of which there are many. But he's reticent about the future. Even his campaign website offers only the vaguest outlines of how his priorities might be achieved:

* He has "a vision to transform how mental health is understood, perceived, accessed, treated, and integrated – in and out of health care settings in the state."  Okay, let's see it. 

* He "will take aggressive steps and bring fresh ideas to increase the supply of housing." Great, what are they?

* He "will help increase access and improve public transportation." How?

* Small businesses need "access to capital so they expand ..." Where's the money coming from? 

* Bracy would "work to reduce the cost of internet services and tech gadgets." Many internet providers, including AT&T and Spectrum, already offer discounted service for low-income households and recipients of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, so how would his plans differ?

Bracy did not respond to repeated phone calls, text messages and email requests from VoxPopuli. Asked directly about his movement, Bracy pointed VoxPopuli to his website.

He didn't talk about any these initiatives during the July 8 forum on WESH 2 when moderataor Greg Fox begged him to mention any policy initiative he wanted to achieve . He didn't mention them either when he spoke at the July 18 Pine Hills Hob Nob. 

Instead, Bracy is using his platform to focus on other interests, like independent filmmaking. He’s promoted Ponder, the movie he made with his wife Kietta Mayweather Bracy and premiered at Winter Garden’s Garden Theatre. After VoxPopuli reported that he used campaign funds to secure the venue for the red carpet event without advertising it as a campaign event, Bracy was forced to reimburse his campaign $532.

He’s also using his platform to redress personal grievances, such as his belief that he’s not received proper credit for past achievements. Like working to get gap funding for Bethune-Cookman University when the HBCU's (historically Black college and university)   accreditation was in jeopardy.

Bracy is particularly fixated on not getting what he believes is proper acknowledgment for securing $305,000 in annual scholarship funds in 2021 for descendants of survivors of the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Massacre. The scholarship is called the Randolph Bracy Ocoee Massacre Scholarship and awards $6,100 apiece to 50 students planning to further their education at public college, university or vocational schools. He repeatedly claims that Thompson had no hand in the scholarship, but it’s thanks to ongoing efforts from both Thompson and Bracy’s sister, Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, of District 40, since 2021 that scholarship monies can now also be used at Florida’s four private HBCUs.

Personal grievances

Bracy has moved past professional disagreements into feud-level hostilities toward Thompson, a longtime friend of his mother's, and he's allowed his wife (who often appears with him in videos) to dish about intra-family dramas under the guise of “standing on the truth.”

It got to the point where Bracy’s uncle, Philoron Wright, posted on Bracy’s Facebook page (since deleted):

“…I don't think this is the right platform and forum to aire (sic) your complaints and grievances. Particularly against family. I believe this is unhealthy for all parties. Certainly, Randy it is not healthy for your mom at her age of 75. I am sure these postings are laying heavy on her heart. The impact of these posting stretches for beyond your circle. They stretch across extended families, community lines and political lines. Your complaints appear to be more divisive rather than with a clear vision to get your message out to the voters. I don't think the voters are interested in the personal feelings and attacks. Somethings are better unsaid. There is a feeling of the "Hatfield and Mccoy" fighting which should not be. Your dad was a problem solver and healer to help people. I don't think he would be pleased at this point.”

The genesis of the feud appears to be a comment Thompson made to WKMG in April when she said she was “praying for him and hoped he regained his footing” after Bracy's election loss in 2022 and father’s death in 2023.

Bracy interpreted her quote as an accusation that he was suffering from mental illness and clapped back with videos claiming Thompson was being deceitful and trying to build political capital out of his father’s death.

Later, he called a press conference to accuse Thompson of living outside of District 15 and threatened a lawsuit if she didn’t drop out of the race. Thompson has said that she lives at her daughter's home in Ocoee to help care for her two-year-old granddaughters. She's registered to vote in Ocoee. 

VoxPopuli later learned that Bracy has rarely been seen by neighbors in Oakland where he has his homestead exemption and is registered to vote since January when he bought his estate in Lake County. At times, neighbors told VoxPopuli, weeds have gotten so high around his Oakland property, they’ve discussed mowing his yard themselves. They spoke anonymously to avoid angering the former senator.

When Thompson joined the press conference to offer her side to reporters and suggested that Bracy was motivated by the breakup of a long-ago relationship with one of her family members, he posted hours of videos on Instagram, about her "rudely interrupting" the press conference.

He dissected the breakup of the romantic relationship to Thompson’s granddaughter in several videos. (Initially, he said he wasn’t sure if Thompson was talking about her daughter or  granddaughter before explaining he was engaged to one of her granddaughters.) There's a lot of repetition of  “I don’t want you, but I wish the best for you.” In one video, he warns Thompson not to mention her granddaughter again.

Geri, I don't believe that you got me talking about your granddaughter, having to address something like this. It is so ridiculous, but since you did that, I gotta be clear. I don't want you. I am grateful that that thing didn't work out because God is … God has blessed me so much. I'm so happy that I'm wishing you nothing but happiness ...So don't bring that up again. Don't make me …don't make me go there in a public forum. I was so shocked that you did that. But if you do it again, I'm going to have to go here and tell her how much I don't want her.

Democratic lawmakers, business leaders, lobbyists, political strategists and pundits have expressed concern to VoxPopuli about Bracy's social media postings, baffling performance in the WESH forum and mental wellbeing. Bracy himself has said on Instagram that his mother does not support his run. Even his sister joined with the rest of the Orange County Democratic Legislative Delegation to endorse Thompson. 

“I’m very concerned about his mental health,” Thompson told VoxPopuli. “This job is very challenging. It can be draining, and you have to safeguard your mental health. You have to surround yourself with people who are supportive. He’s alienated himself from his mother, his sister, his brother-in-law, so he doesn’t have any guidance. So I’m concerned about his mental health. He’s spiraling.”

It doesn't look like the movement is catching on. The most recent check of his campaign finance reports shows Bracy has raised just $13,200 compared with Thompson who has raised more than $103,000, including $57,250 from the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.