State Attorney Ed Brodsky easily beats former long-time prosecutor in Republican primary
Republican incumbent Ed Brodsky will face Democrat Betsy Young in November’s general election to determine if he will remain the top prosecutor in the 12th Judicial Circuit.
Brodsky took 56,149 votes, or about 66.6 percent of ballots cast in the three-county district, to beat out his Republican challenger, Lisa Chittaro. A long-time former prosecutor, Chittaro took 28,111 votes, or 33.4 percent, in her attempt to unseat her former boss.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support tonight during this election. I am grateful for the community, for my friends and for my supporters throughout this election,” Brodsky said.
He went on to add, “I am grateful to the men and women within the state attorney’s office that have supported me throughout this election process and showed faith in me as their state attorney and am especially grateful to the work they do every day and their daily commitment to justice.”
The 12th Judicial Circuit is comprised of Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties.
Chittaro did not respond to calls for comment on Tuesday night.
First elected in 2012 to replace longtime former State Attorney Earl Moreland, Brodsky had worked as Moreland’s second in command. He was unopposed for re-election in 2016.
Brodsky, who filed for re-election about two month and half months after being declared the winner in 2016, raised nearly seven times as much as Chittaro. He raised $171,937.16 while Chittaro, who filed in January, raised $24,880.
Chittaro had long been a supporter of Brodsky’s, helping him get elected and later reelected. But in 2017, Chittaro left the state attorney’s office because she didn’t like how the office was being run.
Brodsky has touted his tough-on-crime stance through his most recent reelection bid, as well as his close relationship with law enforcement.
After more than 15 years as a prosecutor, Chittaro went into private practice focusing on criminal law. But Chittaro had always intended to remain a prosecutor and decided to join the race after becoming more and more concerned by Brodsky’s handling of the office.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 8:52 PM.
