When Oscar Braynon was elected to the State Senate to replace Frederica Wilson, who had been elected to the United States House of Representatives, a special election was held to replace him in the 103rd District, which included parts of southern Broward County and northern Miami-Dade County, stretching from Bunche Park to Miami Gardens.

Pritchett ran to succeed him in the Democratic primary on February 8, 2011, and she faced former Miami Gardens Vice-Mayor Barbara Watson and Erhabor Ighodaro.

A contentious campaign ensued, and on election night, it appeared as though Prichett had emerged victorious; the Sun-Sentinel declared her the narrow victor over Watson.

She was challenged in the Democratic primary by Melvin Bratton, whom she defeated by a comfortable margin of victory, winning with 58% of the vote.

While serving in the legislature, Pritchett joined with State Senator Rene Garcia, a Republican, to sponsor legislation that would provide "mandatory vision screenings for students entering the public school system for the first time," explaining, "So often we hear about children who are just not performing to their optimal capabilities, and they're not doing so because they can't see; they've never had an eye exam.