Jack Brill defeats Michael Flynn-backed challenger to become Sarasota GOP chair

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Jack Brill became the new chair of the Sarasota GOP Thursday after defeating a challenger backed by Michael Flynn in a race that served as a test of Flynn's influence on local politics, and how far right the local party would go.

The contest between Brill and Englewood GOP activist Conni Brunni to replace longtime Sarasota GOP Chair Joe Gruters, who did not seek reelection, was emblematic of the divisions in the Republican Party.

Far right forces have exerted increasing influence on the GOP in recent years, and Flynn – former President Donald Trump's first national security adviser – has been at the forefront of those efforts as a leader in the push to overturn the 2020 election.

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Yet while Sarasota County has shifted to the right in recent years and elected more staunchly conservative leaders, Thursday's vote – while close – may be a sign that there are limits to the influence of the party's more extreme elements.

Flynn is an influential figure in far right politics, but his endorsement wasn't enough to swing the race for Brunni.

Brill won by 33 votes out of 301 cast by Sarasota GOP executive committee members.

Most of Flynn's focus has been on national politics, but when he bought a home in Sarasota County in 2021 some wondered whether he also would get involved in the local political scene, and what kind of influence he might have.

Those questions were answered over the last year as he delved into everything from COVID-19 school policies to the local school board elections, and lately the internal politics of the county party.

Flynn joined with other far right activists in rallying behind Brunni and painting Brill as part of a GOP establishment that many in the party view skeptically.

Brill, 61, is a Longboat Key resident and longtime leader in the local party who served as vice chair the last seven years and acting chair the last four years while Gruters ran the state party. An executive with a food manufacturing company, he was endorsed by the vast majority of Republican officeholders in the region and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

"We're very happy for the victory, we look forward to taking a very well run party here in Sarasota County and marching on to sweeping the elections in 2024," Brill said.

Brunni also is a longtime local GOP activist, but has been more on the fringes of party politics. She lives in the same neighborhood as Flynn and said she encouraged him to get involved in the local party.

Flynn joined the Sarasota GOP executive committee in a surge of new members that included a local Proud Boy and other far right individuals.

While they failed to take down Brill, these far right activists still could be a potent force in local GOP politics going forward. The close vote could embolden them to keep the pressure on, giving Brill a tougher time in the job than Gruters, who found great success as party chair.

"We hope that some of the new people that have come in will be a part of the broad tent of our party and will be a part of our victories going forward," Brill said.

Gruters chaired the Sarasota GOP for 14 years, taking over in 2008 and using the job as a springboard to higher office, winning a seat in the state House, then the state Senate and becoming chair of the state party after co-chairing Trump's 2016 campaign in Florida.

The Sarasota GOP under Brill's tenure as acting chair had a strong record the last two election cycles. Candidates backed by the party won 28 of 29 races this year, and 31 of 35 races in 2020.

Follow Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. He can be reached at zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Flynn fails to take control of GOP in Florida county where he lives