James Satcher unseats Commissioner Trace from Manatee Commission in GOP Primary
James Satcher ousted incumbent Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace in the Republican primary election on Tuesday.
With all 17 precincts reporting. Satcher earned 5,689 votes, or 55 percent, defeating Trace, who had 4,597 votes, by about 11 percentage points. He now will face Democrat Dominque Brown in the Nov. 3 general election.
“It feels surreal,” said Satcher, a local pastor who lost a countywide race against Commissioner Carol Whitmore in 2018. “I’m really grateful to the people of District 1 for believing in us.”
District 1 includes parts of Ellenton, Parrish and East Bradenton.
Describing himself as a true conservative, Satcher said he hopes to keep taxes low while fully funding the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and improving some of the county’s aging infrastructure.
Fighting to end sex trafficking in Manatee Couty will also be a major priority for Satcher, who runs the Satcher Evangelistic Association, a religious organization dedicated to that cause.
Trace, who was first elected to the Manatee County Commission in 2016, previously said she looked forward to continuing her time on the board and advocating for the district.
“I was beaten,” Trace said Tuesday evening. “I hope James continues the good work I feel I have done and I wish him well.”
Moving forward, Trace said her priorities would have been to continue upgrading the infrastructure in the district, acquiring right-of-way for road widening and finalizing a plan to incentive industrial growth near Port Manatee.
“I’m looking forward to the campaign for the general election, so we’re gonna keep working hard. I’m looking forward to making a difference,” Satcher said.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 8:05 PM.
