Congressional District 22 candidate Kaysia Earley says legal experience and community service prepared her to fight for South Florida

Democratic congressional candidate Kaysia Earley says her campaign for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District is built around a philosophy she has carried from the courtroom into the community: Leaders must know how to serve before they can lead.

During an interview with Hy-Lo News Live, Earley discussed her background as a trial attorney, former public defender, nonprofit founder and mother of four, along with the experiences she believes have prepared her to represent the newly redrawn district in Congress.

“As a mother of four, as a community servant, I do believe a great leader must know how to serve first,” Earley said. “I’ve been serving for all of these years. And this is the time to rise up, to fight for our community and not be afraid.”

Earley officially filed as a Democratic candidate for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District in June. The district was reshaped this year as part of Florida’s new congressional map and now stretches across portions of Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry and Collier counties.

For Earley, the district’s geographic and economic diversity means its next representative must understand that residents are not facing the same challenges from one community to another.

She said campaigning throughout the district has taken her to town halls, city meetings and homeowners association meetings where she has heard concerns ranging from healthcare access and teacher pay to property insurance and environmental issues.

“I wanted to know what the people, what their issues were and not what I thought it was,” Earley said.

Earley pointed to Immokalee as an example, saying residents have expressed concerns about access to urgent healthcare. In communities such as Marco Island, she said homeowners have raised concerns about insurance costs and beach erosion.

That listening tour, she said, is informing the policies she would pursue in Washington.

Immigration was among the most prominent issues Earley discussed during the interview.

She criticized changes to Temporary Protected Status and argued that removing immigrants who have established lives and careers in the United States could have economic consequences for communities throughout District 22.

Earley said the issue extends beyond traditionally immigrant communities because industries including hospitality, agriculture and healthcare rely heavily on immigrant workers.

“This will be detrimental to our economy,” Earley said.

Her campaign platform also includes lowering costs for working families, improving healthcare affordability, protecting Social Security and Medicare, addressing property insurance costs, expanding pathways to homeownership and investing in infrastructure.

Earley said she wants voters to look beyond campaign advertising and evaluate candidates based on their experience, qualifications and record of service.

“Stop just looking at the name,” she said. “I need you to Google the names on those ballots and dig deeper.”

Earley has practiced law in Florida since 2014 and founded Earley Law Firm after previously working as an assistant public defender.

She told Hy-Lo News that she has taken more than 100 cases to verdict throughout her legal career. She believes that courtroom experience would provide a valuable foundation for serving in the legislative branch.

“I went to law school to learn the law,” Earley said. “As a well respected and top rated attorney, I interpret the law. So the natural progression is to write laws.”

Earley also described herself as an assertive advocate, acknowledging that her approach can sometimes be interpreted differently because she is a Black woman working in a profession historically dominated by white men.

“When I’m assertive, I’m deemed aggressive,” she said. “I will continue to be assertive and I will continue to lead without fear.”

Earley said that willingness to challenge people and institutions is something she would carry with her to Capitol Hill.

She also used the interview to criticize aspects of the political system, including her own party.

Earley called for congressional term limits and said elected officials should make room for new generations of leadership rather than remaining in the same positions for decades.

“Give someone with fresh ideas, a fresh outlook, a chance to lead their generation,” Earley said. “Pass the torch.”

She also said she opposes corporate political action committee influence and supports overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

Earley argued that elected officials should be accountable to the residents who elected them rather than organizations or donors capable of contributing large amounts of money to political campaigns.

Outside the courtroom, Earley pointed to two initiatives she said demonstrate her approach to public service.

The first is her TRAPS program, which she developed after working with young people who did not understand their constitutional rights during interactions with law enforcement. The cards provide simplified information about rights involving searches, self incrimination and access to legal counsel.

Earley said she has distributed the cards for free and used them to educate young people and families about how to safely navigate encounters with police.

“We’ve got to save our children,” Earley said. “We have to save our adults.”

She also founded Seeds of Manna, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to underserved communities, including food distribution, disaster relief and educational outreach.

Earley said her commitment to service predates her congressional campaign and stems partly from her own upbringing.

She described being raised by a single mother in a family of eight children and experiencing poverty while growing up in Miami. Earley later became the first person in her generation of the family to graduate from college, earning her bachelor’s degree from Howard University and law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law.

“I’m a proven servant,” Earley said. “Check my resume, check my history.”

As voters prepare for Florida’s Aug. 18 primary election, Earley said she wants District 22 residents to research the candidates and decide who is best prepared to represent a district that now encompasses communities with dramatically different needs.