Shev Jones trounces opponents to win Senate District 34
State Sen. Shevrin Jones trounced two challengers on Tuesday, handing Tallahassee’s Democratic establishment a victory in state Senate District 34.
The three-way race featured fellow Democrat Erhabor Ighodaro, a former Miami Gardens councilman and vice mayor who was viewed as the more conservative Democrat, and Pitchie Escarment, a newcomer on the Florida political scene.
Jones was winning by more than 50 percentage points, with more than 38% of the vote counted as of 8 pm.
Jones, the first openly gay Black lawmaker to be elected to the Legislature, will return to Tallahassee as he does not face a challenge in the general election. Senate District 34 is a newly drawn district in Miami-Dade County stretching from County Line Road to Allapattah and from Northwest 57th Avenue to the ocean.
“You’ve trusted me to do the job, again! Let’s get back to work! #WEthePEOPLE,” Jones posted on Twitter 30 minutes after the polls closed and with results showing a decisive early lead. Jones was celebrating at the Mexican restaurant Agave Bandido in Pembroke Pines with other sitting Senate Democrats.
Florida’s Democratic establishment rallied around Jones, a one-term incumbent, to help him overcome a challenge from Ighodaro, who served two consecutive terms in the Miami Gardens city council. Ighodoro had previously challenged Jones in the 2020 election cycle but finished fourth and faced criticism for leading “one of the most homophobic campaigns” that year.
Most recently, Ighodaro, an associate pastor at Mt. Zion AME Church in Miami Gardens, made similar remarks at a candidates’ forum in mid-July, according to a video obtained by the Miami Herald. “I don’t believe that people should not recognize the difference between a male and female,” Ighodaro said. “I don’t believe in 110 pronouns.”
In a tweet posted on Monday, Jones said he was knocking on doors to talk to voters and was told by one that “somebody said not to vote for you because you’re gay.” Jones tweeted that the voter later told him the comment made him support Jones “even more.”
Jones, 38, has served in the Legislature since 2012 when he was elected to the House of Representatives. The former educator was elected in 2020 to represent Senate District 35, which covered south central Broward County and north central Miami-Dade County.
Jones has been a staunch critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as the governor’s “don’t say gay” and “Stop WOKE” bills. At a time when partisanship defined the Legislature, Jones said he believes his experience sets him apart from the other candidates.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 8:00 PM.