Aramis Ayala facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aramis Ayala
State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
In office January 1, 2017 – January 1, 2021
Preceded by	Jeff Ashton
Succeeded by	Monique Worrell
Personal details
Born	(1975-02-02) February 2, 1975 (age 50) Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	David Ayala
Education	University of Michigan (BA) University of Central Florida (MS) University of Detroit (JD)

Aramis Ayala (born February 2, 1975) is an American politician and lawyer. She served as the top prosecutor, called the State Attorney, for a part of Florida. This area is known as the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. She was elected in November 2016 and worked as the chief prosecutor from 2017 to 2021. In 2019, Ayala decided not to run for re-election as state attorney.

Ayala was the Democratic candidate for Attorney General in Florida in 2022. She lost the main election to the person who held the job before, Ashley Moody.

Early Life and Education

Aramis Ayala was born in Saginaw, Michigan. She went to the University of Michigan and earned her first college degree there. Later, she studied law at the University of Detroit and became a lawyer.

Career Highlights

Serving as State Attorney

When Ayala became State Attorney, she announced a new policy. She decided not to ask for the most serious punishment, sometimes called the death penalty, in any case. This decision led to a disagreement with the Florida Governor, Rick Scott.

Governor Scott then moved some serious cases away from Ayala's office. He gave them to another State Attorney. Ayala went to court to challenge this action. She argued that the Governor did not have the power to do this. However, the Supreme Court of Florida ruled against her. The court said the Governor could move cases if a prosecutor decided not to use their judgment in each case.

In July 2017, a video of police officers stopping Ayala's car became widely viewed online. Ayala asked the officers for their information during the stop. She later said the stop seemed to follow Florida law and did not take legal action.

Running for Other Offices

In May 2021, Aramis Ayala announced she would run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. This is a part of the U.S. government that makes laws. She planned to run for Florida's 10th congressional district.

She later changed her mind and decided to run for Attorney General of Florida instead. The Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer. In the 2022 election, Ayala ran against the person who was already the Attorney General, Ashley Moody. Ayala lost this election.

2022 Attorney General Election Results

2022 Florida attorney general election results map by county

Map legend

     Moody—50-60%
     Moody—60-70%
     Moody—70-80%
     Moody—80-90%
     Moody—>90%
     Ayala—50-60%

The Republican Attorney General, Ashley Moody, ran for re-election in 2022. Aramis Ayala was the Democratic candidate challenging her. Moody won the election by a large difference in votes.