‘Turning point.’ Grassroots Manatee Republicans topple developer and DeSantis favorites

It was the primary of the grassroots candidate in Manatee County.

Despite being massively outraised and outspent, a group of Republicans that campaigned against special interests made a clean sweep in local elections on Tuesday night.

Supervisor of Elections candidate Scott Farrington and commission candidates George Kruse, Tal Siddique, Bob McCann and Carol Ann Felts all netted strong victories in their races. They toppled well-funded and developer-backed opponents, some of whom were appointed or endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Each of the losing candidates saw strong support from donors with deep pockets. They all raised at least $89,000, according to campaign finance records, including several max donations from local homebuilders.

Those well-funded candidates were also represented by political consulting firm Strategic Image Management (SIMWINS). The Tampa firm’s tactics of using political action committee money and sensational attack ads were successful in past Manatee County elections but drew more scrutiny from voters this election cycle.

According to campaign finance records, those candidates combined to pay SIMWINS nearly $500,000 for several services, including campaign consulting, media ads and mailers.

The winning candidates — raising about $250,000 combined — were largely funded by donations from individuals.

Take Back Manatee, a non-partisan political group that rallied to “end developer control” of local government, heralded the election results as “a turning point” for Manatee County.

The group has campaigned on behalf of all the victors.

“The voters have spoken loud and clear: they want to Take Back Manatee from the developers and their cronies,” Take Back Manatee organizers said in a statement on Tuesday night. “These wins mark a turning point for our county, where integrity and the will of the people will guide our future.”

The group is chaired by Betsy Benac, a former county commissioner who has become a vocal critic of several board members.

“I was very surprised,” Benac said of Tuesday’s results. “We have some pretty major issues that need to be tackled and I hope they will refocus on that.”

“I think that (the winning candidates) worked extremely hard to get their messages out,” Benac added. “There was so much false information. But people are paying attention, and I think that’s wonderful.”

Election season isn’t over, though. Each of the five candidates will face challengers in November, but their primary election victories knocked several powerful politicians from elected office in Manatee County.

Candidates react to primary election wins

Tuesday’s election results ensure that there will be three new faces on the Manatee County Commission and a new official in charge of the Supervisor of Elections office. In interviews with the Bradenton Herald, candidates shared an enthusiasm for giving voters a stronger voice in local government.

“I think voters sent a very clear message last night,” Kruse said. “You can’t push people too far. Just because you’ve got money, or just because you’ve got some belief you’re invincible, doesn’t mean that people are just going to roll over for you. There comes a time when people want their voice. They want real representation.”

Kruse said the winning candidates worked as a team to connect with residents, often speaking together at events.

“I think that resonated,” Kruse said. “This was a group of people running a grassroots campaign for the sole and absolute purpose of giving them a voice in the government and how this government is going to run. For too many years, people felt like they didn’t have a voice.”

“We made it about the voters and not about the candidates,” Kruse added. “I rarely talked about Kevin. I spent all my speaking events talking about what Manatee County could be, and why it was important to people. I don’t think the other side caught on to how much of a ground swell of support was being built up.”

Farrington agreed that speaking directly to voters was the key to success across the board for Tuesday’s winners.

“I think the biggest message (voters) sent is they want candidates that are willing to talk to them and that are willing to not rely on mailers and text messages and negative advertisement,” Farrington said. “They want candidates that want to represent them and that want to campaign by communicating directly to them and working for them.”

“Manatee County has gotten used to and they’ve come to expect great elections, fair, honest, transparent elections in the last decade that I’ve been in Manatee County,” Farrington said. “The reason I ran was because we want to provide that for the citizens of Manatee County.”

Felts said she was still in shock over the victory on Wednesday and felt she had “the longest shot” of the commission candidates.

“A clean sweep is just absolutely miraculous,” Felts said. “I think all the credit goes to our people. They really got out there and hustled and got themselves educated and informed. And look what we did.”

“We still have to get through November, but I think we have a good slate of people with a good chance to win. It wouldn’t have done any good for me to be the only one to win,” Felts said. “I think it’s going to be a group that works very well together. We have a lot of work to do.”

“The fact that everybody won sends a powerful message,” Siddique said of Tuesday’s results. “People wanted grassroots voices back in all local levels of government, and that’s what they’re getting back. People that represent them over special interests, that are funded not by developers or big-money PACs. I feel very optimistic and hopeful about our future for Manatee County.”

McCann called the victory a “testament to the power of the people.”

“This victory is a clear sign that the residents of Manatee County are ready for change, and I am eager to begin serving the district and making a positive impact on the community,” McCann said in an email. “Votes outweighed developers’ contributions!”

Manatee incumbents lose to challengers

“I think there was one message sent through almost every single race yesterday,” Satcher told the Herald.

“If the public saw you as part of the establishment, they wanted somebody different, which is awkward for me, because I never have and still don’t see myself as part of the establishment. But the numbers were consistent across a lot of races.”

“I try to go to work every day, make a difference for the people, and serve the Lord and represent him,” Satcher said. “I believe that by and large I’ve been able to do that and intend to do that moving forward.”

Commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Raymond Turner and District 3 candidate April Culbreath did not respond to the Bradenton Herald’s requests for comment Wednesday.

Election results

Supervisor of Elections: Scott Farrington handily won the primary race for Supervisor of Elections with 58.8% of the vote to incumbent James Satcher’s 41.2%. Satcher, a former commissioner, was appointed to the elections role by Gov. DeSantis earlier this year after former supervisor Mike Bennett retired. Farrington will advance to the Nov. 5 general election in a race against write-in candidate Thomas W. Dell. The winner of that race will be sworn into office in January.

Manatee County Commission District 1: The third time was the charm for Myakka City resident Carol Ann Felts, who won her first primary election after previous unsuccessful attempts in 2020 and 2022. With 54.2% of the vote, she defeated better-funded opponent Steve Metallo. Felts will now face two challengers in the general election: Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and Independent candidate Jennifer Hamey.

Manatee County Commission District 3: Tal Siddique had the most dramatic primary victory of the night with a 22% win over his better-funded opponent, April Culbreath. Siddique will face Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker and a write-in candidate in the general election.

Manatee County Commission District 5: Robert McCann knocked DeSantis-appointed and better-funded incumbent Raymond Turner off the county commission. McCann will face independent Joseph Di Bartolomeo in the general election.

Manatee County Commission District 7: George Kruse pulled off what was perhaps the biggest upset of the primary election with a win over Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who had raised a record-breaking $236,000 in campaign funds — more than four times Kruse’s amount. Kruse will face Democratic challenger Sari Lindroos-Valimaki in the general election.