Kohler M16 won't run after attempting to replace ignition switch

I've got an old Taylor Dunn cart with a Kohler M16 in it that I just had to replace the ignition switch and not sure about the wiring.

The old ignition switch didn't have anything labeled, but the battery and starter wire are easy enough to identify, but the other two I'm a bit confused on. One of them turns the gauges on when switched to ON, so I assumed that was the ignition wire. The last wire I assume was the ground wire. The new switch does not have a ground terminal so I ground it on the metal frame below the dash where the switch is mounted.

I tried starting without that last wire attached and it wouldn't start, though there was spark, and I know there was fuel (new) in the carb bowl, and I tried with and without the air filter, the oil was flushed and filled with new oil, and the spark plug was fine before I took the wiring apart. Some starter fluid gets it to jump but not stay running as if it wasn't getting fuel, so that points to the carb though it was working earlier, I cleaned up the old carb, still no start, bought a brand new replacement carb, still no start.
The whole thing was running before I tried to replace the failing ignition switch. Could this be an ignition problem even though I still seem to have a spark and starting fluid makes it catch momentarily before the starting fluid is gone? Could a faulty ground be a problem or would it not even spark if that were the case?

Any troubleshooting tips would be welcome.