In 2000, when incumbent State Senator Pat Thomas was unable to run for re-election due to term limits, Boyd ran to succeed him in the 3rd District, which included Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, and Wakulla Counties.

She faced fellow State Representative Al Lawson, former Leon County Sheriff Eddie Boone, and Dean J. Fenn in the Democratic primary.

"[7] Florida Consumer Advocates, an association of the state's trial lawyers, backed Boone and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Boyd for her votes in favor of limiting public access to wetlands, selling drivers license information to private companies, and allowing holders of out-of-state concealed-carry permits to bring their weapons into the state.

The ad featured a Cocoa woman whose husband died when his tire blew out arguing that Boyd "voted to make it more difficult to sue companies like Firestone.

"[9] Boyd condemned the advertisement as inaccurate, arguing that the group was blaming her for the Firestone accidents and that she cast her vote based on the best information she had at the time.