Sanders backs Worrell for state attorney
Lauds Orange-Osceola Dem’s focus on criminal justice reform
A Democrat running to replace Orange-Osceola state attorney got a big-name endorsement Thursday: Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who became a standard-bearer for progressives while seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020.
“Monique Worrell is particularly focused on criminal justice reform and has taught and advocated a wide range of progressive criminal justice ideas throughout her career,” Sanders said in a post on Twitter.
Worrell was one of 10 progressive candidates for district or state attorney that Sanders endorsed Thursday, saying, “We need DAs and prosecutors who understand that their job is fighting for justice.” Worrell’s campaign announced Friday that she has also been endorsed by Orlando City Commissioner Bakari Burns. Burns, who has also been praised by Sanders, was elected to represent District 6 in November.
“As City Commissioner, I took an oath to support, protect, and defend all members of the community I serve,” Burns said in a statement distributed by Worrell’s campaign. “In order to fulfill my duty to protect, I must stand for those who unapologetically fight for justice and seek the truth. When our system is broken, we are broken. Now is the time to rebuild, and that begins with new leaders, which is why I proudly endorse Monique Worrell for State Attorney.”
Worrell, who spoke during Tuesday’s demonstrations seeking justice for George Floyd, the man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, is pitching herself as the candidate for “radical change” in the criminal justice system. She is the former director of State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s Conviction Integrity Unit.
“I have been fighting for criminal justice reform in this community for twenty years,” Worrell said in a statement. “I am an outsider to the system. I served in the State Attorney’s office, reviewing cases of wrongful convictions. What I learned during that time is that if we want to make a change to the system, we must make it from within.”
Worrell will be competing against three other candidates in Aug. 18 Democratic primary: Belvin Perry Jr., the circuit’s former chief judge who became a household name during the Casey Anthony trial; Deborah Barra, Ayala’s second-in-command; and Ryan Williams, who left Ayala’s office in 2017 and currently handles death penalty cases reassigned from her office to Ocala-based State Attorney Brad King. Orlando attorney Jose Torroella is running as a non-party-affiliated candidate.