Daphne Campbell, first Haitian American elected in Florida State Senate

On November 8th, Daphne Campbell became the first Haitian-American to be elected as State Senator in Florida. Former State representative, she won by a landslide, beating up her opponent Philippe Brutus.

After six years spent in Tallahassee as State Representative (108th District), Daphne Campbell became State Senator after the runoff opposing her to Philippe Brutus, another Haitian-American who ran as an NPA (No Party Affiliation) candidate.

Last Tuesday, Daphne Campbell won the 38th District State Senate race in Florida. She won by a landslide (75.2%) crushing her opponent, the former State representative Philippe Brutus (24.8%).

Campbell was born in Cap-Haïtien, a city in northern Haiti, where she attended the SOD Nursing School, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1981. She moved to Florida later that year, and she became a registered nurse.

In 2010, Campbell ran in the Democratic primary to replace incumbent State Representative Ronald Brise who left an open seat in the 108th District. She defeated her then opponent Alix Desulme by fewer than 400 votes, winning 52% of the vote and advancing to the general election, which she won unopposed.

During her first legislative term, Campbell spoke strongly in favor of pro-life legislation, speaking out against abortion and quoting the Bible. She later opposed a legislation that provided additional funding to private and virtual schools, instead of calling for more money to be invested in public education.

For her reelection in 2012, Campbell was opposed in the primary by Desulme and Pat Santangelo. Campbell defeated both of them easily, winning 60% of the vote to Desulme’s 23% and Santangelo’s 17%. She was re-elected in the general election without any opposition.

Jonel Juste

Author: jjuste02

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