Here is a running compilation of the latest news about 2014 candidates’ second-quarter fundraising hauls.
GWEN GRAHAM ANNOUNCES $375K HAUL
Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, announced Monday on her website that she has raised “more than $375,000” for her congressional campaign. Graham, a Democrat, is running for the northwest Florida seat currently held by Republican Congressman Steve Southerland. “This was our first big test, and we passed with flying colors! Thanks to grassroots support from people like you, we’re sending a clear message that we will win this race,” she wrote on the site. Graham did not immediately release a more specific fundraising total for the three months that ended June 30, the first fundraising quarter since she entered the race in April.
GRAHAM’s OPPONENT, STEVE SOUTHERLAND, RAISED $461K, tweets Alex Leary.
WITH $440K CASH HAUL, JOE GARCIA DOESN’T APPEAR TOO DAMAGED BY ELECTION SCANDAL via Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald
U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia has had the roughest of days for a congressional freshman: His former campaign team is under investigation for possible elections crimes and a bevy of Republicans is lining up to take him out. But none of it has appeared to really hurt the Miami Democrat’s fundraising.
Garcia’s team announced he raised about $440,000 in the last three months and has about $800,000 cash on hand. Garcia sits in one of the most-competitive seats in Florida, District 26. Democrats narrowly outnumber Republicans, but the sizable number of independents make it a truly swing district. Garcia’s campaign also noted that, according to the Washington Post, Garcia votes his party line about 82 percent of the time, making him one of the most-moderate members of Florida’s 26-member congressional delegation – a reflection of the diverse Key West to Miami-Dade district. President Obama carried District 26 by a comfortable 7-percentage point margin, and Garcia won his seat by nearly 11 points over a scandal plagued incumbent, Rep. David Rivera.
RICK SCOTT’S COMMITTEE PULLS IN $8.7 MILLION FOR FIRST HALF OF 2013
The political committee backing Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election pulled in $3.2 million in June, with big contributions coming at the end of the month from a firm linked to gambling giant Genting and from two trustees of the state’s newest university. Resorts World Omni Inc., a Miami arm of Genting, gave $100,000 on June 29 to the “Let’s Get to Work” committee, according to a listing on the committee’s website. Meanwhile, $125,000 arrived the same day from Vero Beach resident Robert W. Stork, CEO of Communications International Inc., and local companies he runs. Mark Bostick, president of Comcar Industries, gave $10,000 to the committee a day earlier. Stork and Bostick were two of six members reappointed by Scott on May 16 to the Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees. Other big contributors to “Let’s Get to Work” during June included Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light Co., Florida Crystals Corp., U.S. Sugar and the GEO Group. The monthly total pushes the “Let’s Get to Work” committee’s total to $8.7 million for the first half of 2013.
ADAM PUTNAM RAISES OVER $600k IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam got off to a blazing start in his 2014 re-election campaign, collecting $591,011 in cash contributions during the year’s second quarter.
ATWATER UPDATE
Gary Fineout tweets that Jeff Atwater raised $105k in last quarter. He has also gotten nearly $400k in help from RPOF overall.
SD 1: IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING JIMMY PATRONIS DROPPED OUT
It’s probably a good thing Rep. Jimmy Patronis abandoned his bid for the State Senate. His then-opponent, Rep. Matt Gaetz, raised an eye-opening $252,360 in just eight weeks on the campaign trail.
Newly filed campaign-finance report shows Patronis stopped raising money in early June. The Panama City Republican raised only $2,800 during the second quarter of the year, after raising $90,585 during the first three months. Also, the new report indicates Patronis did not raise any money after June 4.
Patronis announced last week he would not run in 2016 for the Senate District 1 seat, short-circuiting what had been expected to be a heated GOP primary against Gaetz. Patronis, who will leave the House in 2014 because of term limits, cited family reasons for his decision.
SD 10: DAVID SIMMONS TOPS $84K
Being Chair of Senate Banking and Insurance doesn’t hurt in the campaign fundraising department, at least not for Sen. David Simmons who has collected $84,810 in contributions this quarter, giving him a total of $102,810 in advance of his 2014 reelection campaign. Simmons donors include those whose battles are fought on B&I turf, such as insurers, attorneys and physicians. Simmons, himself an attorney, voted in favor of expert witness tort reforms both in committee and on the Senate floor in 2013.
While Simmons did collect a few small checks from constituents, most of his donations hit the current $500 max. Of the 211 donors that contributed to Simmons this quarter, the average donation was $401.94.
SD 20: JACK LATVALA NOW WITH OVER $100k IN BANK FOR RE-ELECTION BID
Sen. Jack Latvala raised $27,975 between April 1 and June 30, bringing his overall contribution total to $111,000 as he prepares to seek re-election next year, newly filed campaign-finance records show.
Two other candidates, Republican Zahid Royand Libertarian Tony Caso, also have opened campaign accounts in Senate District 20.
HD 31: RANDY GLISSON EXTENDS FUNDRAISING LEAD IN COMPETITIVE GOP PRIMARY
In what is expected to be one of the most competitive GOP primaries on the House side, chiropractor Randy Glisson has taken the fundraising lead over rivals Terri Seefeldt and Betty Hensinger.
For the second quarter which ended June 30, Glisson raised $21,905, bringing his overall total to $41,925. Glisson is maintaining a tight grip on his money, having expended just $2,000.44.
Seefeldt, who has uber fundraiser Beth Babbington working for her picked up $14,200 and now has $25,125 in the bank.
Hensinger raised $11,055 in her first three months on the campaign trail.
HD 35: INGOGLIA RELEASES SOLID FIRST QUARTER FINANCE REPORT
Blaise Ingoglia announced fundraising totals for the first quarter since entering the race on May 8. Ingoglia raised $74,094 including in-kind donations and a loan from the candidate, $4,600 of which was raised online. Over 240 individual entities contributed to his coffers.
Material from the News Service of Florida was used in this post.
HD 40 & 74: UNOPPOSED GOP CANDIDATES GET A HEAD START
In Lakeland’s House District 40, Republican Colleen Burton is the only candidate who has opened a campaign account, giving her a head start for the 2014 general election.
Running unopposed hasn’t stopped Burton from getting tapping the pool of donors, mostly from Lakeland and surrounding area, according to the current campaign financial information. So far, the former executive director of community activist group Polk Vision raised $26,175 in her bid to replace term-limited Rep. Seth McKee next year.
Venice Republican Julio Gonzalez is also the only candidate to organize a campaign account for his bid for House District 74 vacated next year by term-limited Rep. Doug Holder of Venice. He continued adding to his campaign fund, collecting $36,191 between April 1 and June 30. Recent funding records show Gonzales raised an overall total of $76,200 since November.
Material from the News Service of Florida was used in this post.
HD 61: ED NARAIN TOUTING $21k HAUL
Ed Narain has raised over $21,000 in the first months of his State House campaign, according to a press release from his campaign.
“The most encouraging part,” said Narain, “(is that) the vast majority of it came from the people of our community.” Take that as a not-so-veiled shot at rival Sean Shaw, who is expected to be the preferred candidate in Tallahassee.
An area manager for AT&T and a volunteer for organizations benefiting children and young people, Narain is running for the House District 61 seat now held by Rep. Betty Reed, who will leave office in 2014 because of term limits. Three other candidates also have filed to run: Shaw, a lawyer and consumer advocate, community activist Tatiana M. Denson, and former Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee Vice Chairwoman Sharon Carter.
HD 63: SHAWN HARRISON MAKING STRONG COMEBACK
In House District 63, where Democrat Mark Danish knocked off Shawn Harrison in 2012, the Republican has already taken the fundraising lead after being in the race for two months. Harrison outraised Danish three-to-one this last quarter and has outraised overall.
