Drew Wilson
After a six-figure haul in October Republican George Gainer has passed Shalimar Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz in on-hand money in the race for Senate District 1.
The Gainer campaign brought in $118,590 last month and spent $46,887, leaving the Bay County Commissioner with just under $573,000 cash on-hand heading into November. Gaetz’s report wasn’t as rosy – the House District 4 representative brought in $34,490 in contributions, but spent more than he brought in, leaving him with $501,645 on-hand.
Most of Gainer’s 220 contributions came from an Oct. 27 fundraiser that attracted dozens of Republican donors. All in all, the campaign brought in more than $86,000 in donations that day, with nearly all of those contributions coming from the Bay County half of the district. Fundraisers aren’t free, though. The campaign spent more than $23,000 mailing out invitations to the event, with another $5,400 heading to the Panama Country Club for the venue and bar tab.
Gaetz took in 68 contributions last month, mostly from corporations and political committees. Notable donors include Disney, which gave $1,500 through two of its subsidiaries, and Microsoft, which chipped in with a $500 check.
Campaign expenditures included $10,000 for media production and more than $18,000 worth of advertising and media buys with cable companies Comcast and Cox. Gainesville-based Data Targeting, Inc. also got about $1,900 for a mailer campaign.
Gaetz has been running to replace his father, former Senate President Don Gaetz, in SD1 since mid-2013. The outspoken representative had brought in more than $600,000 in contributions before Gainer joined the race in September. Soon after filing, Gainer loaned his campaign $500,000, virtually wiping out the two-year fundraising headstart and drawing criticism from Gaetz, who said Gainer had “chosen to fund his campaign by looking in the bathroom mirror.”
After October it looks like Gainer may have the fundraising prowess to keep things competitive with Gaetz, though the Okaloosa County lawmaker is certain to strike back once he can hit the fundraising trail without having to pause for a special session.
