Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Democrat challenging Florida Rep. Chris Latvala for House District 67 missed a key opportunity last month to bridge his massive funding gap against the Republican incumbent.
Andrew Peter Bernard Apted raised just $1,100 in April, the most recent set of campaign finance filings show. Latvala raised nothing in April because he was working in Tallahassee during the recently concluded 2019 Legislative Session.
Latvala’s benched fundraising efforts while the session was underway could have been a prime and sole chance for Apted to pad his campaign coffers.
His efforts fell short. While Latvala didn’t raise a dime in April, his total fundraising haul in his campaign is about $28,000. Latvala’s affiliated political committee, Suncoast Better Government, raised more than $55,000 since the beginning of the year.
Apted’s total intake so far is just over $1,400.
Apted, a Largo Democrat, filed for the seat on March 25 and is so far the only candidate challenging Latvala.
Apted’s largest contribution came from a family member, Julie Longstreth, who donated $500. Former House candidate Dan Fiorini, a Democrat, contributed $250.
Meanwhile, Latvala is flexing is fundraising might and tapping his family name. He collected a host of contributions since the beginning of the year from utility companies TECO and Nextera and conservative political committees.
Latvala’s dad Jack Latvala kicked in $25,000 to his son’s committee and another $1,000 to his campaign from his Florida Leadership Committee. Conservative political committees including Floridians for Responsible Government and Travis Cummings’ First Coast Conservatives also donated.
Latvala was first elected to Pinellas County’s House District 67 in 2014 with a 53-47 percent victory over Democrat Steve Sarnoff. The 2016 cycle saw him score a 17-point win over David Vogel. Last year he defeated Dawn Douglas by 8 points on Election Day.
Latvala’s House District 67 includes parts of Clearwater and Largo and is a safe district for Republicans. Without a major fundraising boost, Apted’s bid to unseat him are likely to be met with crickets.
