26 Facts About Geraldine Thompson

Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party serving in various capacities in the Florida Legislature from 2006 until her death in 2025.

Geraldine Thompson served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2012 to 2016, representing parts of Orlando and western Orange County.

Geraldine Thompson served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, from 2006 to 2012.

Geraldine Thompson's district included Windermere, Winter Garden, Gotha, Lake Buena Vista, Oakland, parts of Ocoee, and the Dr Phillips, Horizon West, Hunters Creek, and Williamsburg communities in Southwest Orange County, FL.

Geraldine Thompson was born on November 18,1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and moved to Florida in 1955.

Geraldine Thompson grew up in the town of Perrine where her family worked in agriculture and construction.

Geraldine Thompson attended Miami-Dade Community College and received a scholarship to attend the University of Miami.

Geraldine Thompson enrolled shortly after that school ended racial segregation.

Geraldine Thompson moved with her husband, Emerson, to Tallahassee, where he attended law school and she worked in state government and higher education.

Geraldine Thompson received a Master of Science degree in Communication from Florida State University in 1973.

Geraldine Thompson then joined her husband in Orlando and began work as a teacher in Orange County Public Schools.

In 2002, Geraldine Thompson ran for the Florida House of Representatives from the 39th District, which included parts of downtown Orlando in Orange County, against Bruce Antone, Tiffany Moore Russell, and Jon Eason.

Geraldine Thompson again ran for office in 2004 when she challenged incumbent State Senator Gary Siplin in the Democratic primary in the 19th District, which included parts of central Orange County and northern Osceola County.

Geraldine Thompson campaigned on her support for affordable housing for low-income residents of the district, improved public transportation systems, and on addressing crime by expanding economic opportunity.

Geraldine Thompson was then elected without an opponent in the general election, and was re-elected without opposition in 2008 and 2010.

Senator Siplin was unable to seek another term in 2012 due to term limits, so Geraldine Thompson ran for the Florida Senate.

Geraldine Thompson campaigned on a platform of enhancing access to public education and job creation, and attacked Siplin for relying on taxpayer-funded mailers, sent out by her husband's Senate office, to promote herself.

Geraldine Thompson then ran against Fritz Seide Jackson, the Republican nominee who had previously opposed her in the Democratic primary in 2006.

When Geraldine Thompson ran for re-election in 2014, she was challenged in the Democratic primary by Gary Siplin.

In 2015, following court-mandated redistricting that created a new Democratic-leaning Congressional district based in Orlando, Geraldine Thompson announced that she would run for Congress in the 10th district, challenging former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings and former Florida Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe in the Democratic primary.

In 2018, Geraldine Thompson announced her intention to challenge incumbent Republican state representative Bobby Olszewski in House District 44, covering suburban southwestern Orange County.

Geraldine Thompson went on to defeat Olszewski in the general election.

In 2020, Geraldine Thompson filed a Petition for Quo Warranto in the Supreme Court of Florida, challenging Governor Ron DeSantis's appointment of Renatha Francis to the Court.

Geraldine Thompson subsequently amended her petition seeking the correct remedy, and the Court granted it, ordering DeSantis to appoint someone else from the Judicial Nominating Commission's list.

In 2022, Geraldine Thompson defeated fellow State Representative Kamia Brown to win election to the Florida Senate District 15 seat.

Geraldine Thompson died from complications of knee surgery at a hospital in Orlando, Florida, on February 13,2025, at the age of 76.