Here are five things we learned from Tuesday's primary election results in Sarasota andSarasota County:
1. The conservative grift ends on School Board
After years of watching a conservative Republican majority on the Sarasota County School Board seemingly grift for attention and notoriety by chasing political agendas
and waging culture wars, voters made clear Tuesday that they wanted a clean break and a different direction.School Board candidates Beth Mayberry (District 5) and Megan Tennimon (District 4) easily defeated two Republican-backed opponents who weren’t afraid to tout their conservative credentials.
In District 1, Democrat Jimmy Glover was the leading vote-getter and will now face Heidi Brandt in the Nov. 3 general election.
Meanwhile, District 1 hopeful Teresa DeWitt – a proudly
conservative candidate endorsed by Sarasota Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube and someone who would have been animpressive School Board member – finished well behind Glover and Brandt.
2. Mixed messages in Sarasota County Commission results
Voters displayed an anti-incumbent streak Tuesday when they ousted incumbent Commissioner Joe Neunder, who clearly lost to Jim DeNiro in the District 4 Republican primary.
Obviously, some weren't swayed by Neunder'syear-long transformation from a commissioner who reliably supported often-controversial development projects to a skeptic of new construction in Sarasota County.
And other Republican primary voters still held a grudge with Neunder over his donation to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton – though you'd think it's time to let that go a decade later.
Yet while Neunder was ousted as an incumbent, fellow Commissioner Mark Smith easily beat opponent Kristina Sargent in the District 2 Republican primary – and he's effectively secured another four-year term.
3. Voters got it right on Sarasota City Commission
Sarasota voters read the room well in choosing incumbent City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch, Flo Entler and John Harshman as the top three vote-getters for two at-large seats.
They were the strongest candidates in the five-candidate field and deserved their spots for November.
4. Apathy? What apathy?
According to the latest unofficial figures from the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections office, voter turnout for Tuesday's primary surpassed 33%.
That's higher than the roughly 32% voter turnoutfor the August 2024 primary, which featured high-interest races for the School Board, county commission and Sarasota County Public Hospital Board.
5. Get your popcorn ready
As expected, current state Rep. James Buchanan's easily wonthe state Senate District 22 Republican primary on Tuesday.
But now that sets up a fascinating November contests between Buchanan, the son of outgoing U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, Democrat Lew Wasserman and independent Martin Hyde, an outspoken local government critic.
Trust us: get the popcorn ready.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 5 things we learned from Sarasota's primary election results | Opinion
