A Democrat, Lawson served in the Florida Legislature for 28 years, rising to the rank of "Dean of the Senate" prior to his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. From 2000 to 2010, Lawson served Florida Senate, representing the 6th District, where he was elected to serve as the Democratic Leader. From 1982 to 2000, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives.\n', '

Lawson was born in Midway, Florida, and attended Havana Northside High School where he was a standout athlete in basketball and track. He went on to become a basketball star at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where he earned a bachelor\'s degree in political science. After a brief stint as a professional basketball player with the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks, Lawson returned to Tallahassee where he landed a job at Florida State University as an assistant basketball coach where he helped take the Seminoles to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. Lawson also earned his Master of Public Administration from Florida State University.\n', '

Lawson ran for the Democratic nomination in Florida\'s 2nd congressional district in 2010, challenging seven-term incumbent Allen Boyd. Lawson narrowly lost to Boyd in the Democratic primary, and Boyd lost to Republican newcomer Steve Southerland in the general election by more than 12 percentage points.\n', '

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