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Teresa Mast has won the Republican primary to represent northeastern Sarasota County on the County Commission, taking 55 percent of the vote Tuesday night.
Mast said Tuesday night that she was “absolutely ecstatic” after winning the primary. She said she would continue campaigning for the general election, even though the write-in candidate is the daughter of her volunteer coordinator.
“I look forward to protecting and preserving our quality of life and am honored to be the Republican Party nominee for District 1,” she said.
She also thanked the volunteers who joined her campaign and pledged to represent all voters in District 1. “Whether you vote for me or not, my door will always be open because I am here to serve.”
Alexandra Coe, a slow-rising Republican who campaigned against “overdevelopment,” won 45 percent of the vote in a contested race for the District 1 commission seat. The battle became fierce during the early voting period, with opposing wings of the Sarasota Republican Party aggressively campaigning for their candidates.
Coe has sent a letter to State Attorney Ed Brodsky’s office alleging that her opponent may have violated state law with some of the voter guides that some of her volunteers handed out during early voting while wearing red “Republican Voter Guide” shirts. Coe’s attorney has also sent a letter to Mast’s campaign demanding an end to the distribution of voter guides during early voting.
Coe did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment on the outcome of Tuesday night’s election.
Mast will face a blank slate in the November general election after Hope Williams, the daughter of Mast’s volunteer coordinator, filed to narrow the primary to Democrats and nonpartisan voters in District 1.
Mast far outraised Coe in the County Commission race, raising more than $250,000. Several of the region’s largest developers supported her campaign. Coe raised about $45,000, most of it from parties unrelated to the real estate industry.
This article originally appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Mast defeats Coe in Sarasota County Commission primary
