Manatee Voting Results: New School Board Member, Other Races

BRADENTON, FL — Manatee County voters chose a new school board member Tuesday while a number of candidates in other important races will have to wait until Nov. 3 to learn their fate.

Incumbent Manatee County School Board member Gina K. Messenger earned a second term on the board with an impressive win over challenger Bridget Heffernan Mendel.

"I look forward to another four years serving our community," Messenger wrote on social media.

Messenger, a public school teacher, finished with 58.43 percent and 41,018 votes over Heffernan Mendel, who got 41.57 percent and 29,187 votes in the District 1 race.

Incumbent Dave "Watchdog" Miner got the most votes Tuesday to defend his District 3 school board seat, but not enough to win the seat outright.

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Miner, an attorney received 28.52 percent and 20,355 votes followed by CPA Mary Foreman, who got 26.46 percent and 18,890 votes.

Foreman, who describes herself as a fiscal conservative, will square off against the incumbent in a runoff election on Nov. 3.

Voters also chose candidates for two seats on the Manatee County Commission.

Conservative George W. Kruse defeated fellow Republican Ed Hunzeker for the District 7 seat held by Manatee County Commission Chair Betsy Benac, who chose not to seek re-election.

Kruse got 57.39 percent and 21,131 votes compared to 42.61 percent and 15,692 votes for Hunzeker.

Kruse will now face write-in candidate Thomas Whitten Dell on Nov. 3 to decide the election. Voters will have to write in Whitten Dell's name with the correct spelling in November while Kruse's name will already be on the ballot.

James Satcher defeated fellow Republican incumbent Priscilla Whisenant in Tuesday's primary election for the District 1 seat. Satcher will face Democrat Dominque Shauntel Brown on Nov. 3.

"I would like to thank all my supporters for the four years of being your District 1 County Commissioner," Whisenant said Wednesday on social media. "I enjoyed every minute of working for each community."

Satcher got 55.32 percent and 5,744 votes compared to 44.68 percent and 4,639 votes for Whisenant Trace.

There was no clear winner of the judges. There will be a recount on Friday between Gould and the number 2

State Attorney Ed Brodsky won his Republican primary over challenger Lisa Chittaro by a margin of 67.20 percent and 30,889 votes compared to 32.8 percent and 15,078 votes.

Brodsky will meet Democrat Betsy Young in the general election. Young has been critical of some of Brodsky's prosecutorial decisions in Florida's 12th Circuit.

Brodsky received 66.64 percent and 56,149 votes compared to 33.36 percent and 28,111 votes for Chittaro.

While the results were consistent in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties, Brodsky received his best margin of 67.2 percent among Sarasota County voters. He earned a 65.99 percent margin among Manatee voters.

Melissa Gould, a prosecutor in the 12th Circuit, was the top vote-getter in the Group 4 race for county judge but it was unclear who came in second.

Election officials will begin a recount on Friday to determine which of Gould's opponents will go on to face her in a Nov. 3 runoff.