TALLAHASSEE — A prominent trial lawyer with a civil-rights resume is jockeying to oust North Florida state Sen. Corey Simon, in one of this year’s marquee legislative races and the only Senate district Democrats are angling to flip in November.

Simon, who was an all-American defensive tackle at Florida State University before playing eight years in the NFL, captured the Senate District 3 seat in 2022 with the backing of Republican leaders who have vowed this year to go all in to keep him in office.

Parks, a former law partner of Ben Crump, a civil-rights attorney who has represented clients in high-profile cases across the country, has deep roots in the district, which includes Leon County and a huge swath of rural North Florida.

Like the 2022 race, when Simon unseated Democratic Sen. Loranne Ausley, blistering ads are stuffing mailboxes and flooding airwaves in what campaign insiders predict could involve a combined $10 million to $15 million in spending.

Incoming Senate President Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican who will take over as head of the chamber after the November elections, pledged to spend “whatever it takes” to ensure Simon secures a second term.

“It’s a tough seat, but we have a huge amount of support. … Understand, when I say whatever it takes, if it’s five (million dollars), it’s five. If it’s seven it’s seven. If it’s 10, it’s 10,” Albritton said during an appearance on The News Service of Florida’s “Deeper Dive with Dara Kam” podcast in June. “I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure Corey Simon comes back. He’s been so good to this district.”

A steady stream of mailers paid for by the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Albritton controls, have portrayed Parks as a “divisive” politician who “made a career out of spreading hate and lies.” Using FSU garnet-and-gold colors, they have painted Simon as a “team” player.

Parks, meanwhile, is linking Simon to Gov. Ron DeSantis and what the Democrat describes as extreme culture-war policies that are out of touch with voters in the district.

“Someone needed to stand up for the people,” Parks said in an interview with The News Service of Florida.

The district is anchored by Leon County, but it includes 12 mostly conservative rural counties and became more purple after the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew it in 2022.

Democrats make up 43 percent of the district, with Republicans at about 37 percent and about 20 percent of voters registered with no party affiliation. Leon and Gadsden counties — traditionally Democratic strongholds — comprise about 80 percent of the voter registration in the district, which also includes Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

The district includes some of the state’s most conservative pockets, but Democrats say it is within reach — especially with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket in November.

The district “is one of Florida Democrats’ top pick-up opportunities this election cycle across the state,” Jena Kingery, caucus director of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, Florida Senate Victory, told the News Service.

Kingery noted that Democrats would need to win two Senate seats to break the GOP’s supermajority in the chamber and that the North Florida district is “the only seat on our map this cycle.”

Democrats, in part, hope increased voter turnout for the presidential election will help drive home a victory for Parks.

“President Biden won this seat by 3 points in 2020. It’s a majority Democratic seat. It’s a true toss-up race, and we expect the results to be very close this November,” Kingery said.

Simon is chairman of the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee and shepherded one of the 2023 legislative session’s most-controversial bills, which included a massive expansion of Florida’s school-choice programs and made all students eligible for taxpayer-backed vouchers.

Simon, tapped by DeSantis in 2020 to serve as CEO of Volunteer Florida, said his “value system” as a conservative Republican reflects voters in the district. And his proximity to GOP leaders can make him a more effective legislator, he said.

“As a Black Republican, we have to be present in every room,” Simon said. “I think when we’re only represented on one side of the table, I think we lose the ability to bargain and talk about the issues that are prevalent in those communities. And so for me, I’m very much of the mindset that I’m a conservative Republican, but there are issues that I think my value system aligns very well with. Folks that may not agree with my title as a Republican, but the way I go about doing the business for this district, I think it’s something that’s needed.”

But Parks said voters in the district, where he has practiced law and worked to advance access to health care and improve education, need a legislator who understands their needs and has deep ties to the region.

“I think these two Black men couldn’t be more different, for what they’ve done. And they are,” Parks said. “My premise comes from within my community. My premise comes from being a lawyer, very involved in working on life-and-death situations. … I’m doing serious stuff involving life and death.”

The candidates also are sparring over the issue of abortion, as voters prepare to decide in November whether to pass a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.

Simon said he supported a 2022 measure that restricted abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but he was one of two Republicans who voted against a 2023 proposal that prevented abortions after six weeks. The six-week limit took effect in May.

“That policy, I think, went too far and didn’t work for the district,” he said.

Simon said he intends to vote against what will appear as Amendment 4 on the ballot, saying it also goes “too far.” The measure says, in part, that no “law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

Parks contended Simon and other Republicans are focused on “side issues” that “have nothing to do with trying to work hard for people.”

He hopes that enthusiasm for Amendment 4, which he supports, and Harris will help drive turnout among Democrats.

“It’s just an amazing time, and it’s going to lift my ship, too,” Parks said, adding that he hopes to garner support from Black voters in rural portions of the district such as Madison and Suwannee counties, where he says he has a “track record.”

“Reconnecting with those people is paramount. So every time I can have a touch with the people in those communities, I improve my chances,” he said.