Phil Ammann
Consumer advocate attorney Gary Farmer announced solid fundraising numbers for October, with $210,000 raised in the first month as a candidate for Florida Senate District 29.
Farmer, a former president of the Florida Justice Association, is seeking the seat currently held by term-limited Democratic state Sen. Jeremy Ring. SD 29 covers most of Broward County.
Farmer also said he loaned his campaign $100,000, leaving him with more than $300,000 cash on hand. He noted that much of the support came from “a wide base of Democratic activists and professionals.”
“I am truly humbled by the immediate and vigorous support this campaign is getting. Democrats ‐ not just from this district but from across Florida ‐ want a State Senator that is going to fight like hell for their values,” Farmer said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to being their advocate in Tallahassee.”
October fundraising puts Farmer on a strong footing for the SD 29 race, where he faces former state Rep. Jim Waldman in the Democratic primary. Waldman has been running for the seat said 2012 and has been assembling a sizable war chest.
The Sunshine State News reports that as of Sept. 30, Waldman raised more than $115,850, and loaned his campaign $202,500, said they spent only about $26,600.
Farmer is a well-known trial lawyer who provided legal help for then-Vice President Al Gore in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.
