Rob Feltner takes Brevard County Commission District 4 race in overwhelming victory

Political consultant Robert Feltner secured the Republican nomination as Brevard County's District 4 county commission candidate after overwhelmingly winning Tuesday’s primary election with nearly 7,400 votes, roughly 55% of the electorate.

Feltner will now face off against Joseph Aiello, a last-minute write-in candidate whose name will not appear on the ballot. For all intent's and purposes, Tuesday’s primary election win essentially hands Feltner the seat vacated by outgoing Commissioner Curt Smith who could not seek re-election because of term limits.

Feltner won virtually every category of votes in the district, from mail in ballots and early voting, to those cast on election day.

“We are very happy tonight,” Feltner said. “I greatly appreciate all the people who volunteered on my campaign. And I am grateful to all the people of the district who voted for me today.”

Candidates and their differences: Four Republican face off in District 4 County Commission primary marked by controversies

And they're off: Brevard County Commission candidates square off in Republican forum with no clear winner

The District 4 includes all or part of Indian Harbour Beach, Melbourne, Palm Shores, Rockledge and Satellite Beach, as well as sections of unincorporated Brevard, including Suntree and Viera.

The position pays $58,145.36 a year.

First-time political campaigner Sandra Sullivan came in second with with roughly 3,000 votes or about 23% of the total vote county. She could not be immediately reached for comment.

Sullivan announced her candidacy in August of last year, but her involvement in county politics dates back further.

For four years Sullivan has been a fixture at county commission meetings, voicing her opinions on a range of issues that include growth and development, public works and taxes, as well as the plight of the Indian River Lagoon.

Consulting background: Primary concern: Could Feltner's ties to non-conservatives like Jennifer Jenkins haunt him?

Feltner was the first person to announce his candidacy for the commission seat back in February of last year.

Unlike Sullivan, Feltner, while relatively unknown by the general public, has been a constant fixture on the state and local political scene, having been an aide for former Florida Rep. Ritch Workman and a campaign manager for dozens of judges, school board and county commission candidates over the years. He also worked as the government affairs and public relations director for County Appraiser Dana Blickley from January 2013 to August 2019.

Feltner and Sullivan shared the field with real estate developer David Armstrong, and Margaret Steciuk, a Brevard transplant with a background in transportation and land-use planning.

Armstrong ended the evening with almost 20% of the vote, securing slightly more than 2,500 votes. Steciuk came in last place, securing the support of about 3% of the electorate with slightly more than 400 votes.

Armstrong was not immediately available for comment.

Steciuk lashed out at Feltner who raised nearly $200,000 on the election — including $100,000 of his own money — and spent nearly $90,000 on his electoral win.

“I do not believe in spending an absurd amount of money to get myself elected to public office,” Steciuk said after her defeat, adding: "Any conservative person would be vehemently against such wasteful spending. What does it say about how the candidate would act with taxpayer's money?”

This race has been marred by controversy since the qualifying period ended in June, when “ghost candidate” Aiello qualified for the race for the simple reason of closing the primary to voters not registered as Republican.

"I do believe that it is in the best interest of the Republican Party for only Republicans to vote for Republicans," Aiello wrote in an email for FLORIDA TODAY.

Armstrong announces: Brevard businessman David Armstrong announces bid for county commission for second time

He doesn’t live in the district he is running to represent, and admitted he entered the race to deny Democrats and unaffiliated voters a voice in the primary. Among those working to close the primary to outside voters was Smith, a longtime associate of Feltner.

Feltner leveraged many of the political connections he made in the past, using them in the mailers he sent to constituents. Several highlighted Ivey’s endorsement, while a second touted support he received from the Brevard County firefighters.

Sullivan’s strategy involved leveraging fights with the Brevard County Commission over a variety of issues, and a long battle she waged with the Department of Defense to uncover a World War II-era military dumpsite in South Patrick Shores and Satellite Beach that the Pentagon long denied responsibility for.

Ghost candidate: 'Ghost candidate' in Brevard Commission race locks out 54,000 voters

Armstrong played up his business background, saying that he ran to help the citizens of Brevard County, not because he needed a job.

In the end however, neither could overtake Feltner and the support he had garnered in the community, and the numerous advantages he could lay claim to going into the election.

As one of the first entrants, he had the time to introduce himself to voters. He also had the resources to touch many voters with his message, along with inside knowledge of politics because of his experience as a political consultant.

Those advantages translated to more votes across the board. He had three times the votes of his next nearest opponent on election day, more than double the votes of his next closest opponent in the early vote and more than double the mail-in vote than his next closest rival.

“I knocked on a lot of doors,” Feltner said of his win. “Voters were very gracious to me over the last 14 months. I am a big believer in that. I believe that money backs up a good ground campaign. I had a good ground campaign and we were able to reinforce that with all the things that you have to do in a campaign.”

Ralph Chapoco is government and politics watchdog reporter. You can reach Chapoco at rchapoco@floridatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @rchapoco.

Support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Feltner wins Brevard Commission District 4 race with 55% of vote