Mitch Perry
Jeb Bush has been traveling the nation making campaign and fundraising stops since the beginning of the year, all under the guise of “exploring” the possibility of running for president. That distinction that has allowed him to raise unlimited amounts of cash for his political action committee called Right to Rise.
According to a new report from the Center for Public Integrity, Republican lawmakers and special interests from Florida have contributed nearly $250,000 to that super PAC.
The Committee for a Stronger Florida, which is associated with former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, has given the most of any former or current lawmaker, giving $75,000 to Bush’s super PAC.
Stuart State Sen. Joe Negron‘s super political action committee, the Treasure Coast Alliance, has contributed $51,000. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli‘s PAC, Growing Florida’s Future, has given $25,000.
Other Florida GOP legislators whose PACs have donated to Bush’s Right to Rise super PAC during the year’s first five months of 2015 include: Clearwater Sen. Jack Latvala, Pasco County state Sen. Wilton Simpson and Tampa Rep. Dana Young, all of whom contributed $5,000 apiece.
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam‘s PAC, the SSLP Political Committee, kicked in $10,000. Putnam, like fellow Cabinet members Jeff Atwater and Pam Bondi, were all seen prominently in the audience at Miami-Dade Community College in Kendall for Bush’s declaration that he is running for president on Monday afternoon.
Right to Rise has yet to submit any reports with the Federal Election Commission detailing its contributors, and it won’t until next month. When it does, the total is expected to be formidable, though it may be short of the initial $100 million figure initially bandied about by Bush advisers this year.
They boasted of a “Shock and Awe” fundraising effort that would blow away the rest of the GOP field. Although the number will undoubtedly be impressive, it hasn’t had the effect of discouraging any Republicans from entering the race. On Tuesday, Donald Trump became the 12th official candidate to announce his candidacy for the GOP nomination. Ohio Gov. John Kasich is expected to get in within the next few weeks as well.
Last month, two campaign watchdog groups, Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center, called on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Bush had broken election law by avoiding restrictions on candidates.
