Image courtesy Daniel Kuether.

Daniel Kuether did not find success running for county commissioner. But he hopes lessons learned on the campaign trail help with a new political role. He won election on Friday as Sarasota County Democratic Party chairman.

Kuether won 85 votes out of 125 cast. The party also elected Vice Chair Barbara Katz, At Large members Rita Major-Hallerdin and Brian Goncola, Secretary Louise Machinist and Treasurer Rose La Chapelle.

The new chair promised to build on those things the local party does well, like a mail vote effort that’s become a model for parties statewide. But after a year of bruising losses, he stressed a desire to address numerous areas where Democrats have fallen short.

“What we need to do is get much more involved in the community where we seem to be losing conversations locally,” he said. “We need to make sure to partner in the community in other nonpartisan conversations.”

Kuether feels the party infrastructure in Sarasota remains outdated, and the day-to-day operations for the party year-round need a refresh. The party’s shortcomings have been particularly concerning at a time when the Republican Party of Florida Chairman, Joe Gruters, operates in Sarasota and brings a level of sophistication and attention from GOP leaders on local political conversations.

This was a tough year for Democrats throughout the state, as Gov. Ron DeSantis won re-election by 19 percentage points, more than any GOP Governor ever in Florida. The top-of-the-ticket success also seemed to lead to success for Republicans all the way down the ballot.

Perhaps most frustrating to local Democrats was a District 2 County Commission race, where Democrat Fredd Atkins lost to Republican Mark Smith by just 373 votes out of nearly 38,000 cast. Kuether believes that loss was the result of low turnout in Black communities in North Sarasota, something he blames on the local party only engaging with voters there during get-out-the-vote efforts immediately preceding elections.

“We can’t show up a couple months before asking African Americans to come out for Democrats,” he said. “It’s about being an intrinsic part of neighborhoods and communities, and really being there for the voters.”

His own county commission race, which he lost to Republican Joe Nuender by 8,886 votes out of more than 47,000, was more about an insurmountable voter registration gap. But Kuether sees ways Democrats can better engage even in districts where the party is disadvantaged. He heard many voters complain about the county commission favoring developers over residents, and said parties need to educate voters on the way the existing political system operates.

“I do think a lot of headway can be made, but we need to be really focused on having the right conversations continually through the year, and need to make the tie and connection of who people are voting for and the resulting decisions coming down from the county commission as a result,” he said.

Kuether said many voters this year cast a straight Republican ticket. Candidates cannot be afraid to speak to conservative voters, however, about specific areas and offices where their own interests may not align with leaders of their party.

Of note, Kuether is the first openly gay person elected to chair a Sarasota County major party. That’s historically important, but he stresses more strongly that he’s 33 and still working full time. That makes him part of a few demographics growing in Sarasota but that remain under-represented at the polls. Electing younger voices for party leadership could be key yo changing that.

“It’s much easier for someone in their early 30s to have a conversation talking to a college student in their early 20s, rather than having retirees try and reach people at New College,” he said.

Image courtesy Daniel Kuether.