Democrats pack legislature races in Sarasota

Herald-Tribune Political Insider Blog

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

There are so many ways to measure how much more competitive Democrats have become in Sarasota. Just look at how state legislature races have changed over the last four years.

As recently as 2004, Democrats failed to produce a candidate for five of the seven state Legislature races that include parts of Sarasota. But this year, Democrats have a candidate in all but one.

The latest candidate in the mix this year is Morgan Bentley, a Sarasota attorney who filed this week to run for the state senate seat that Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, leaves this year because of term limits.

Bentley, a Democrat who has lived in Sarasota since 1991, said he's grown frustrated watching the Legislature fail to do more about the cost of homeowners insurance, education needs and the environment.

"At some point you have to stop complaining and do something about it," Bentley said about why he jumped into the race.

Bentley is the president of the Sarasota Bar Association and is a partner in the firm of Williams, Parker, Harrison, Dietz & Getzen.

Bentley has no easy road ahead of him for the Senate. Of the 300,000 voters in Senate District 23, just 31 percent are registered Democrats. About 45 percent are Republicans. The remaining 24 percent are either registered with minor political parties or no party.

But if we have learned anything in this region during the last two years, party registrations don't tell the full story. Though Democrats make up just 33 percent of state House District 69, Democrat Keith Fitzgerald won 51 percent of the vote in 2006 against Republican Laura Benson to win the seat.

A key to Bentley's success will be the outcome of the Republican Primary on August 26. Former state Rep. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, and current state Rep. Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte, are battling in that primary.

Democrats admit beating the more socially moderate Detert in a general election could be difficult. Detert is a pro-choice, anti-school voucher Republican who started her political career on the Sarasota School Board.

But if Grant wins, Democrats think Bentley could be better positioned to win the seat. That is because Grant is considered to be more socially conservative than Detert and comes from Port Charlotte, giving him a geographic disadvantage in appealing to Sarasota voters, who make up more than 70 percent of the district. The district also includes part of northwest Charlotte County and a small portion of southern Manatee.

Democrats in Area Legislature Races:

Senate District 21 (Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, DeSoto Lee)
Republicans: Mike Bennett(incumbent)
Democrats: none

Senate District 23 (Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee)
Republicans: Mike Grant, Nancy Detert
Democrat: Morgan Bentley

House District 55 (Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough)
Republican: Paul J.D. Golding
Democrats: Darryl Rouson (incumbent), Charles S. McKenzie

House District 68 (Manatee, Sarasota)
Republicans: Ron Reagan (incumbent), Marie Nisco, Kurt Faryniasz
Democrat: Richard J. Jackson

House District 69 (Sarasota, Manatee)
Republicans: Laura Benson, Jason Newcomb
Democrat: Keith Fitzgerald (incumbent)

House District 70 (Sarasota)
Republican: Doug Holder (incumbent)
Democrat: Sam Rosenfeld

House District 71 (Charlotte, Sarasota)
Republicans: Chris Constance, Ken Roberson
Democrat Betty Gissendanner