Ryan Ray
Republican Rep. Dennis Baxley of Ocala raised $79,500 during February for his Florida Senate bid, according to campaign finance reports recently released by the Division of Elections. That brings his total to $94,610 overall.
“We are pleased to receive this much support this early,” Baxley said in a prepared statement Monday.
The man who proudly accepts the title of “Father of Stand Your Ground” is an inveterate campaigner, having run and won seven campaigns since 2000. He now gears up for a run in the deeply conservative Senate District 5, now held by Inverness Republican Sen. Charlie Dean.
Baxley faces an opponent in fellow Republican House member Rep. Jimmie Smith. The retired Army veteran faces long odds against Baxley. Smith raised $10,126 in February, bringing his total to just under $23,000.
Baxley’s maxed-out contributors include Wal-Mart, the Fontainebleu Resort in Miami, Sachs Media Group and Building a Better Economy, a political committee run by former Rep. Daniel Davis.
