GOP dominates Election Day in Sarasota

Republicans, as expected, won every partisan election in Sarasota County on Tuesday, including the only contested race for the Sarasota County Commission. 

From the presidential race on down, the GOP continued its local and state dominance. 

Judicial, school board, special district (other than hospital board), and municipal offices have nonpartisan elections. 

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott easily won reelection against Democratic Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Greg Steube won reelection to his U.S. House against rival Manny Lopez.

Nine-time U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan won reelection for a 10th term in a redrawn District 16, which now only includes portions of Hillsborough and Manatee counties.

Republicans James Buchanan and Fiona McFarland won reelection to their seats in the Florida House of Representatives by nearly 30-point margins over Democratic rivals Manny Lopez and Derek Reich.

Danny Nix, a Republican newcomer, won the open District 75 seat Tuesday to represent southern Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

Heavy turnout

A near-record 84% of registered voters in Sarasota County cast ballots in the 2024 general election, preliminary data show.

According to the Sarasota County supervisor of elections office, more than 57,000 people cast ballots Tuesday at the county’s 103 precincts. 

Combine that with 101,714 mail-in votes and 121,575 ballots cast at early voting sites, there were a total of 280,787 ballots cast, or 84.20% of the 333,464 registered voters in the county. 

The largest voter turnout in recent history in Sarasota was 86% in 1992, according to Paul Donnelly, the elections supervisor’s director of communications and voter outreach.

Breaking down the total numbers by party, 136,706 registered Republicans voted in Sarasota County, compared to 73,283 registered Democrats and 66,668 labeled as “other.”