Jeff Brandes holding St. Pete fundraiser today

Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes is holding a fundraiser Wednesday evening benefiting his Senate District 24 re-election campaign in St. Petersburg.

The event will be held at 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House, 400 Beach Drive NE, starting at 5 p.m. Those looking to sneak in an RSVP before the fundraiser is in full swing can send a note to Rick Porter via [email protected] or call him at 407-849-1112.

The host committee list on the invite features several high-profile Republican operatives and elected officials. Current lawmakers joining Brandes at the event include Tampa Sen. Dana Young and St. Petersburg Rep. Chris Sprowls.

The committee also includes numerous local pols such as former St. Pete Mayor Rick Baker, Pinellas GOP chair and HD 66 hopeful Nick DiCeglie and Pinellas Park Mayor Sandra Bradbury. Former House Speaker Will Weatherford and former Gov. Bob Martinez will also be in attendance.

Brandes has been in the Senate since 2012 when he was elected to the pre-redistricting SD 22. He had been a member of the Florida House for the two years prior.

He didn’t face a Democratic opponent in the 2012 or 2016 cycles, and in 2014 he cruised to victory with a 16-point win over his Democratic challenger in the old District 22.

Democrats are making another play for SD 24 in 2018. At the beginning of the month, trial lawyer Carrie Pilon filed to challenge Brandes.

The Florida Democratic Party’s Senate Victory staff leaked her entry a couple of weeks early, giving Brandes the opportunity to make a statement on his March finance report. He did just that by plunking down $300,000 of his own money to bolster his campaign. He had $417,195 on hand heading into April.

SD 24 could end up being a swing district, though the advantage certainly belongs to Republicans.

The GOP has a 4-point advantage in voter registrations even though the seat voted for Barack Obama by about a point in 2012 and 2.5 points in 2008, and went plus-7 for Donald Trump in 2016.