Photo courtesy Pixabay.

Election results Tuesday firmly proved Republicans hold dominance of Sarasota area politics. But they also showed Republicans here won’t be commandeered completely by extremists in their ranks.

The former point seemed proven in brutal fashion by the ouster of long-time Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates. The last time she appeared on the ballot in 2016, the Democrat won more than 61% of the vote in Sarasota County despite Donald Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton winning nearly 54% of the vote here. Ford-Coates ran unopposed four years later, but this year faced outgoing County Commissioner Mike Moran, her best-funded opponent ever. With ticket-splitting mostly out of vogue, the Republican took 51% to Ford-Coates’ 49% and the last Democrat holding a partisan office in the two-county area lost her seat

A series of woes washed Ford-Coates from office. I’d argue none had to do with voters losing trust in her performance. Indeed, a quick glimpse at where she performed well suggests any neighborhood where most residents lived more than a few years broke her way, regardless of precinct’s natural political lean.

But high-growth areas, voters knew little about Ford-Coates besides the (D) by her name. She may well have been named Kamala Clinton-Obama. One can’t help but wonder if a self-interested party switch might have saved Ford-Coates’ job.

A Southwest Florida GOP consultant, who called Moran's victory "an embarassing win," told me Ford-Coates was undone by three things. One was that Moran, unlike also-ran she has faced since 1984, was a political animal. Two was Ford-Coates was not, and almost actively avoided campaigning, something worsened by the unexpected death of her husband in September. But the county’s rightward shift ultimately denied her an 11th term.

Does that mean the region became some right-wing conclave? Whatever you read in The Washington Post, I’d argue no. Longtime observer here may long for the centrist, business-focused Republicans of 20 years ago, but the electorate remains one that believes in the benefits of government. That means a well-staffed Sheriff’s Office, impressive parks and libraries, and, maybe above all, a strong school system.

Voters on Tuesday unsurprisingly renewed a millage tax funding the area’s high-performing schools. More important, they delivered a higher share of votes in favor of taxation than any other county in Florida voting on similar measures. The 84% YES vote exceeded the pro-tax campaign’s most optimistic expectations. But in politics, there’s no excuse for being surprised.

The area’s largest philanthropic foundations supported the tax. So did most business groups (excluding the Suncoast Builders Association, but let’s save that shaming for another day). Whatever shouting comes from The Hollow, responsible conservatives still run the show in Sarasota.

More evidence could be found earlier this year when an anti-privatization slate of Sarasota Public Hospital Board candidates in the GOP Primary shut down so-called “medical freedom” candidates, weirdos high on anti-vax propaganda with an unhealthy distrust of institutional expertise. The responsible slate again won in November, this time lifted simply be being Republicans.

Need more proof reason won local politics this cycle? The conservative hyperbole during Florida’s peak-Ron DeSantis era briefly installed a field of hard-right bullies to run the Manatee County Commission (they even named a park for the Governor). But this year, Republicans in the Primary cleaned house and restored sense and civility to county politics.

Many progressives in the region today lick wounds, hurt by what populist energy brought once more at the national level. But Tuesday showed responsible politics can win even in a polarized world. Give it time, and that should bring solace even at a divisive moment in history.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA.

Photo courtesy Pixabay.