As an impartial observer, I am really saddened by the extent the national GOP wave trickled into certain local races in Florida (I sat out this mid-term as elections in MS-02, where I’m living now is ultra-uncompetitive due to its obvious demographics), as it seems many voters allows their identification with the GOP and anger with Washington to cloud their judgement on state legislative and local races, conveniently ignoring the fact of longtime GOP control of the state legislature and certain county commissions. The result: A 28-12 GOP majority in the State Senate and a 81-39 GOP majority at the State House of Representative, the first veto-proof ones for the GOP since the Reconstruction. Together with the all-GOP incoming cabinet, they will have unfettered power in the Sunshine State for the next four years.
Rant over, and here my list of the affected local races. My second part of this series will deal with my takes on select legislative races and the geopolitical implications on the partisan makeup of the upcoming State Legislature.
In a few counties, notably in Tampa Bay and its environs, at least eight incumbent county commissioners seemingly lost only due to them being Dems – a cardinal sin in the eyes of the most stridently partisan GOP voters this year. Here are the casualties (In alphabetical order of the counties):
Alachua County – Veteran local pol Cynthia M. Chestnut upset by GOP candidate Susan Baird at 54%-46%, largely due to rural and small-city voter backlash against the dominant Gainesville Dems. These voters had a higher turnout compared to the Gainville voters on Nov 2. Baird is the first GOP Commissioner in 22 years.
Broward County – Freshman Commissioner and County Mayor Ken Keechl was upset by Lighthouse Point Commissioner and former Broward GOP chair Chip LarMarca by 49.8%-45.0%, with almost 5.2% taken by Chris Chiari, a former Democrat and two-time HD-91 candidate. (HD-91 covers many of the coastal communities in County Commission District 4) Admittedly, Broward’s County Commission was 9-0 Democratic since Keechl’s election in 2006 and LaMarca’s victory simply re-introduce a GOP voice to a overwhelmingly Dem body. Keechl may also be hurt by the split Dem vote due to Chiari’s presence on the ballot, and the up-ticket coattails from CD-22, SD-25 and HD-91 (All contains some or all of these coastal communities in this District, and the GOP won all three races). Finally, coastal Broward county is probably the most Republican part of Broward county due to the affluence of many residents there, and the District might be tough for Keechl to hold even in a more neutral year.
Hernando County – GOP powerbroker and county GOP chair Blaise Ingoglia has finally completed his goal of removing Dems from the County Commission, after defeating Commissioners Diane Rowden and Chris Kingsley in 2008, an otherwise good year for Florida’s Dems. Commissioner Rose Rocco lost her District 2 race to Wayne Dukes at about 60%-40%. Looks like the most active voters tends to be GOP-leaning seniors. With the county’s economy in dire straits, Ingoglia’s anti-tax/spending and pro-development messages seem to get really receptive ears. As a result, the County commission is 100% GOP. The Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector are the only partisan elected county positions still held by Dems today, and the incumbents must feel lucky that they were not on the ballot two weeks ago.
Marion County – The only Dem in the County Commission, Barbara Fitos was defeated at about 49%-35% by GOPer Carl Zalak III, with two other candidates taking about 16% of the votes.
Pasco County
Pinellas County
Polk County
St. Lucie County
In addition, two well-respected former Tampa City Council members fall well-short in their bids