Perry E. Thurston Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Perry Thurston
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 33rd district |
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| In office November 8, 2016 – January 10, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Rosalind Osgood |
| Minority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 20, 2012 – November 18, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Ron Saunders |
| Succeeded by | Mark S. Pafford |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 6, 2006 – November 4, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Chris Smith |
| Succeeded by | Bobby DuBose |
| Constituency | 93rd district (2006–2012) 94th district (2012–2014) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Perry Eugene Thurston Jr.
January 30, 1961 Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Dawn Board |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Morehouse College (BS) University of Miami (JD) |
Perry Eugene Thurston Jr. was born on January 30, 1961. He is an American lawyer and politician. He served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2022. He represented the 33rd district, which includes cities like Lauderhill and Lauderdale Lakes in Broward County. Before that, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives for four terms. He represented the Fort Lauderdale area from 2006 to 2014. In his last term in the House, he was the minority leader.
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Early Life and Education
Thurston was born in Pompano Beach. He went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1982, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance. After college, he moved back to Florida. He worked in banking for a while. Later, he decided to study law at the University of Miami School of Law. He graduated from law school in 1987.
Political Career
After finishing law school, Thurston worked for the Public Defender's Office in Broward County for four years. Then, he started his own law practice. He worked as a defense attorney.
Serving in the Florida House of Representatives
In 2006, Perry Thurston ran for the 93rd District seat in the Florida House of Representatives. The previous representative, Chris Smith, could not run again. Thurston won the Democratic primary election with 43% of the votes. In the main election, he won by a large margin. He defeated his opponent with 82% of the votes. Thurston was re-elected in 2008 and 2010 without anyone running against him.
In 2012, the districts for the Florida House of Representatives were changed. Thurston's area became the 94th District. This new district included most of the areas he had represented before. He won the Democratic nomination without any opponents. In the general election, he ran against Scott Herman. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper supported Thurston. They praised him for working on important issues. These issues included education, economic growth, and criminal justice. Thurston won this election with 84% of the votes. This was his final term in the House.
During his time in the House from 2012 to 2014, Thurston was the Minority Leader. This meant he was the main leader for his political party in the House. He played a big part in discussions about expanding Medicaid. This program helps people with low incomes get health insurance. Thurston supported a plan to get federal money for this. This plan would help many Floridians get health coverage.
Running for Attorney General in 2014
In late 2012, Thurston thought about running for Attorney General of Florida. This is a top legal job in the state. In October 2013, he announced he would run. He said he wanted to be "the people's attorney." He believed Florida needed an Attorney General who would focus on health care for citizens.
He ran against George Sheldon in the Democratic primary election. Thurston talked about protecting consumers and expanding individual rights. He also wanted more government oversight. He criticized the current Attorney General for opposing certain health care laws. He also supported voting rights. In the end, Sheldon won the primary election. Sheldon received 61% of the votes, and Thurston received 39%.
Serving in the Florida Senate
In 2016, Thurston ran for a seat in the Florida Senate. The previous Senator, Chris Smith, could not run again due to term limits. Thurston was elected without anyone running against him in either the primary or general election.
Thurston had been expected to become the minority leader of the Florida Senate for the 2022–2024 session. However, he announced he would run for Congress instead. This meant he would run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Because of Florida's "resign to run" laws, he had to leave his Senate seat to run for Congress. On July 27, 2021, Thurston announced he would resign from the Florida Senate. His resignation became official on January 10, 2022.
2022 Congressional Special Election
After Representative Alcee Hastings passed away, Thurston announced he would run to take his place. This was for a special election in Florida's 20th congressional district.
