Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough County Democratic Party Chair Ione Townsend will not seek re-election to her leadership post, she announced in an email to party members.
The announcement comes after the party suffered catastrophic losses in this year’s Presidential Election cycle and two years ago during the Midterm Election. Former President Donald Trump, now President-elect, won the county with nearly 51% of the vote despite Democrats still holding a very narrow voter registration lead in the county.
The party this year also lost another seat on the Hillsborough County Commission, growing the conservative majority from 4-3 to 5-2 just two years after Republicans regained control of the board. Republicans also saw a high-profile victory in State Attorney Suzy Lopez’s defeat of former State Attorney Andrew Warren, who would have been seeking re-election this year had he not been removed from office by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Adding insult to injury to the party, Cindy Stuart lost her re-election bid for Clerk of Court to former Republican County Commissioner Victor Crist. Stuart had raised twice as much as Crist.
Sean Shaw, a Democratic candidate for County Commission, was defeated to hand Republicans another seat on the dais. Shaw also outraised his Republican opponent, Chris Boles.
But rather than reflect on losses over the past two years, Townsend reminded her party faithful of all they had accomplished before changing demographics stepped in.
“As I reflect on the past decade of service, I am filled with pride and gratitude for all we have accomplished. Since 2015, we have made remarkable progress together. When I started, an average Hillsborough County Democrats monthly meeting could fill just 30 seats. The past year, we had nearly 200 precinct captains. In 2015, our bank balance was $4,000. Today, it’s over $100,000,” she wrote.
She praised the County Party’s chief fundraiser, Mark Hanisee, for his work growing the party’s coffers, noting that he taught her “the art of fundraising” and that “together we created a fundraising machine that is the envy of every other county in the state.”
Townsend went on to list a number of past accomplishments, including controlling all but one county constitutional office (until Crist is sworn in, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister is the lone Republican serving in a constitutional office), and winning supermajorities on the School Board and County Commission and gaining two Florida House seats.
“Our Democratic turnout has risen in each of the last three presidential elections, from 72% in 2016, to 78.1% in 2020 and 79.8% in 2024,” Townsend wrote, adding that as successes grew, many “of our members took Statewide appointments.”
“Our elected officials began to see the Party as a place to organize and strategize, to share resources and best practices. In 2024, we were able to coordinate and pool resources from candidates and the Party to leverage unified, professional voter engagement countywide,” she added.
Townsend didn’t ignore the challenges ahead entirely, noting that “targeted Republican spending” has created setbacks. But she held firm in her assertion that the party “remains strong and growing.”
“We’ve added two new clubs, five new caucuses, and are planning a rebooted Veterans Caucus and hope to launch a Muslim Caucus. We are known as one of the most organized county parties in Florida,” she said.
Townsend said that while she will continue to support the party and “the next administration in any way I can,” she is looking forward to “being with my grandchildren and taking care of my health.” She said she remains “optimistic about the future of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party.”
Townsend has served since 2015, after becoming involved in party politics in Pasco County in 2008. It’s not clear yet who will replace her. Ella Coffee, a longtime party activist and former candidate for office, currently serves as Vice Chair of Operations, and would be an obvious option. David Cutler serves as Vice Chair of Outreach and has held numerous leadership roles within the party, and would also be an ideal candidate.
Other current party leaders include Donna Harwood as party Treasurer, Sharon Graham Barrett as recording secretary, Nancy Sterngold as corresponding secretary and Jose Vazquez as sergeant at arms.
State Committeewoman Vanessa Lester and State Committeeman Marcus Klebe, as well as numerous caucus Chairs and officers, could also be considered.
Party members will have the opportunity to nominate Townsend’s replacement on Dec. 2 at the party’s organizational meeting, per its bylaws. The meeting is open to all registered Democrats and will be held at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 915 headquarters at 5621 Harney Rd. in Tampa at 6 p.m.
