Sybrina Fulton Loses Run For Office By Less Than One Percent

Sybrina Fulton was running against Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert.

Sybrina Fulton had a close race against Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert for county commissioner.

In a report from the Miami Herald, Fulton lost to Gilbert by less than one percent, with Gilbert receiving 331 votes more than Fulton. The two were running against each other for Miami-Dade Commission District 1.

Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, has never held an elected position before, although she is a career county employee. She first announced her run for county commissioner back in May last year.

“My time as a public servant began 30 years ago at Miami-Dade County. Since 2012, I have advocated tirelessly to empower our communities and make them safer,” she said in a statement on Instagram. “But the work is not done. I am proud to announce that I will run to represent District 1 on the county commission.”

At the time Fulton had made the announcement, she was not considered an official candidate in the race by the county and state of Florida until June, because the county had not received the documents required for her to run yet.

"Even though I have a national platform, my heart really is on a local level because I worked with Miami-Dade County," Fulton said while discussing why she wanted to run for county commissioner in an interview Harper's Bazaar. "Before I do things on a national and international level, I want to make sure I take care of home first. Everything starts locally before it goes out through the state and in Congress or Senate and all of those different things."

Among the priorities Fulton ran for included a better transporation system, housing affordability, and economic opportunity for all. She had received endorsements from politicians like Hilary Clinton, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren.