Christine Jennings learned the hard way what has been ongoing since the early 1970s in southwest Florida. The political infrastructure and machinery of southwest Florida is almost impossible to overcome for a Democrat in a close race. I myself learned this lesson when the Gore Campaign sent me to Lee County during the 2000 recount. Election officials, local commissioners and other political interests are almost always partisan in that part of the state.No part of Florida with a large, growing population has proven to be more reliably Republican than this region. Robust growth largely from the Midwest has spurred Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties from sleepy retirement communities to a vibrant metropolitan area. Yet as this evolution has taken place, the area’s Republican bent has continued and even further solidified.
For years the Democrats could count on winning an urban Fort Myers State House seat and a Charlotte County seat as well. But Vernon Peeples was defeated by Lindsay Harrington in 1996, permanently flipping both that seat and the chamber into Republican hands, and in 1998 the Democrats failed to hold Keith Arnold’s urban Fort Myers seat by a narrow margin and have not been close to regaining it, with one exception, since. The Democrats have not held a Senate seat based in Collier, Charlotte or Lee Counties (the old Tom Rossin and Dave Aronberg seat contained more voters in Palm Beach County than in Lee) since the late 1980s.
For years the Democrats could count on winning an urban Fort Myers State House seat and a Charlotte County seat as well. But Vernon Peeples was defeated by Lindsay Harrington in 1996, permanently flipping both that seat and the chamber into Republican hands, and in 1998 the Democrats failed to hold Keith Arnold’s urban Fort Myers seat by a narrow margin and have not been close to regaining it, with one exception, since. The Democrats have not held a Senate seat based in Collier, Charlotte or Lee Counties (the old Tom Rossin and Dave Aronberg seat contained more voters in Palm Beach County than in Lee) since the late 1980s.
Sarasota has since the early 1990s been more moderate than the rest of the region, but it still trends Republican and is controlled by the GOP, albeit those of a more moderate persuasion. The Democrats have had electoral successes locally and have come close to greater success on a few occasions including Jennings controversial “defeat” in the 2006 Congressional District 13 race. The area has developed a more moderate outlook on social issues, and the arts are well supported in the area. Sarasota is truly an interesting and creative place: a unique city by Florida standards. The surrounding areas of Venice, Englewood and to the north, Bradenton, are filled with lots of Midwestern retirees but also younger families who care about education and basic services. On a whole, the Sarasota/Bradenton metropolitan area while Republican is less intimidating for Democrats than the areas further south, and recent demographic changes indicate a trend towards the Democrats.
Like the areas further south, Sarasota and Manatee counties have been bad electoral territory for local Democrats, but unlike the areas further south Democrats towards the top of the ticket have been performing better of late. In 2006 Christine Jennings carried Sarasota county by almost 7,000 votes. Vern Buchanan had years of advertising for his car dealerships which made his name better known, but Jennings ran a strong issue oriented campaign and would have won the election if not for major ballot irregularities. In 2008 Obama came within 220 votes of carrying the county. Manatee has not shifted yet electorally but the demographic trends locally, with more young families moving into the area from outside the Midwest indicate that a shift may begin to occur.
Further south, Charlotte County gave McCain a narrower margin than expected in 2008. Lee County remains tough territory for Democrats but the type of new resident in Cape Coral and Estero in particular that we are seeing tend to be less conservative than the established population in the area. More and more transplants from the Northeast are moving to Lee County, making it in all likelihood less monolithic Republican into the future.
Collier County remains one of the most Republican large counties in the southeast (over 250,000 population) and the new residents to the Naples area continue to prefer Republicans by a wide margin.
While Republicans are still likely to win the vast majority of southwest Florida districts over the next decade, demographic shifts and increased population mean the Democrats cannot continue to ignore this region. When trying to build a statewide majority it is imperative that the Democrats organize and work to cut the GOP margins in counties like Manatee, Lee and Charlotte. The raw population of these areas means the Democrats must engage and place resources in the area.
Jennings should run again. She was really fantastic. Smart, female and inspiring to the voters. She continued to fight to the end for the process which does not happen that often. Do you think she wll run for another office?
While this piece is well argued the continued bias of this site towards hunting for Dem votes where their aren’t any is mind boggling. We get long articles about how North Florida a traditional D area is unwindable and not worth winning while counties like this are critical. I understand the desire to develop a strategy that is different than the continued failed FDP program but Sarasota the buckle on Republican belt is certainly not the answer. I think the answer is to focus on the basics. Appealing to rural counties with an economic message. This is where Obama will kill us with this gay marriage thing. A national party cannot be truly national if its leader steps out like that on issues that turn off a big chunk of the electorate in our areas. African-Americans, and rural whites are strongly against Obama on this.
Where we need to focus:
1- the 2nd Congressional district. We carried many of these counties in 02,06, 10 Governor’s races. We last carried Sarasota in 1982.
2- increasing turnout in Broward. Sink lost because she left maybe 100,000 votes on the table in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.
3- maximizing black turnout in the cities.
4- Reconnecting with white voters in the counties around Ocala and Gainesville
With this strategy we will win in 12 and beyond. Right now we are not doing any of the above 4 things well.
I like this.
Sarasota been trending since 2000.
Lee, Collier, Charlotte all bad but growing and not good to ignore them.
I totally agree with point 2 and 3. Point 4 isn’t happening.
Point 1 is, again, useless. I have said this stat more than once and I will continue to say it again….In 2010, If all the Democratic and Other/NPA voters in counties that had 50,000 people or less turned out for Alex Sink with a 100% turnout rate, Rick Scott still would have won.
Am I stuttering?
Sarasota is already flipping. Obama will win the county this year as will Nelson.
We lost all three races where we focused in North Florida. Obama only carried core Dem counties if you want to call them that plus Orange and yet win the state by running up huge margins in those core counties and the. cutting the margin of victory in urban counties carried by McCain, such as Sarasota and Seminole. North Florida has no relevance in this race.