While Democrats in recent cycles have made Sarasota County into a battleground for important statewide races, local contests at the county and regional level have been more elusive. Now Christine Jennings, the new chairman of the Sarasota County Democratic Party, hopes to build the resources to change that. “I want us to be able to raise money so that we can recruit and train future candidates and win races,” said Jennings.

Of course, those big contests exist as well. Jennings said a top priority in the next two years will be prepping for a presidential race where Florida should play as crucial a role as it has for the last couple decades. “I want to make sure we are ready when Hillary [Clinton] announces, and that we will be ready to support her,” Jennings said. 

Jennings in recent years has worked as CEO of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, and spent 14 years as CEO and president of Sarasota Bank. In political circles, she is best known for her two runs for Congress against U.S. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, in 2006 and 2008; she came within 400 votes in Buchanan in the first contest in one of the most closely watched and controversial results in Sarasota political history. But Jennings said he focus right now is on building the party. “I have no intention of running for office,” she said. “My intent is to help the party to win races.”