“Somebody just looking at that might get the wrong impression of his current status,” Jewett told VoxPopuli in a phone interview. “Particularly when there have been other complaints that he’s been inaccurate on some of his other statements and ads.”
Jewett is referring to Bracy’s campaign signs, which contain the word “re-elect,” a word only an incumbent is allowed to use, according to Florida election law.
“ I think it's in the same vein in the sense that it’s potentially confusing or deceptive to people that read it,” he said.
VoxPopuli made several attempts to connect with Bracy for comment by phone, text and via his Facebook page, but did not receive a response. However, after we started asking questions, including posting on the Senator Randolph Bracy Facebook page, we noticed that that page, with its blue verification check mark, disappeared.
In its place was this one. Note that there's no blue verification check mark. But while the government imagery is gone, Bracy is still identifying himself as “District 15 State Senator, Formerly District 11.”
That's something that doesn't sit well with at least two of Bracy’s Democratic Primary opponents, both attorneys, who objected to Bracy’s Facebook bio. Through a representative, State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, Bracy's sister, declined to comment.
Ocoee attorney Coretta Anthony-Smith called Bracy's page a “blatant misrepresentation.”
“ I really hope the powers that be will stand up to him and hold him accountable … for this page because it's misleading,” Anthony-Smith said in a Tuesday phone interview. “It makes it seem like the government has authorized this page, which they haven’t. And then he is referring to himself as a senator representing District 15. The entire statement is incorrect and is a misrepresentation. It really goes in line with the signs that he's putting up that say Re-elect. All of that is a misrepresentation.”
Former Congressman Alan Grayson said via text that Bracy is positioning himself as the incumbent, “is a particularly serious violation because he ran for this office last year and lost.”
“It's sad that he feels a need instead of standing on what the issues he believes face the community and solutions for that, he wants to misrepresent and mislead the community,” Anthony-Smith said. “He can't be even transparent in his own backyard, so how can he be transparent for our district?”
Early voting for the Democratic Primary runs through June 22nd, daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Election Day is June 24th. The special election (General) will be held on September 2nd.
