Farrington defeats DeSantis appointee Satcher in Manatee Supervisor of Elections race

Scott Farrington defeated James Satcher in the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections race in Tuesday’s primary election.

Farrington received 23,376 votes, or 58.92%, and Satcher received 16,299 votes, or 41.08%.

Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Satcher, a former Manatee County commissioner, to lead the elections office following the resignation of former Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett. His appointment came after Bennett wrote a letter to DeSantis recommending Farrington for the job.

Farrington resigned as deputy chief of staff the day the governor chose Satcher to fill the vacant seat.

Satcher, who has been on the job for four months, garnered criticism for requesting a $841,340 budget increase and for not holding an election for a school board seat. During that time, he argued that the office bought new election equipment, improved security measures and opened more early voting locations.

Farrington, who worked as an elections official for 21 years in Manatee and Sarasota counties, touted his strong track record of accurate, fair and secure elections. He pointed out that he would bring decades of experience to the job.

Satcher raised $122,121 in campaign finance funds, while Farrington raised $78,724, according to public records.

Farrington advances to the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election in a race against write-in candidate Thomas W. Dell. The winner of that race will lead the elections office for the next four years.

This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 7:46 PM.