Scott Powers
The year 2015 ended with little competitive balance in campaign money among Central Florida candidates running for Florida House of Representatives seats as incumbents, when they have any competition at all yet.
One exception, in Seminole County’s House District 30 has incumbent Republican state Rep. Bob Cortes raising more than $101,000 for his campaign. Yet he barely stayed ahead of Democratic challenger attorney Ryan Neal Yadav, who has self-funded his own campaign with $60,000 in loans, according to end-of-the-year campaign finance reports posted Monday by the Florida Division of Elections.
Cortes led all Central Florida House of Representatives candidates in the month of December, by raising $17,381. That helped him hit $101,809 in the cycle, and finish 2015 with $92,807 after expenses. Yadav topped all Democrats in Central Florida with $73,592 on hand, even though he has only attracted $14,650 in contributions, including $10,100 in December
Cortes’s district is one of three swing districts in Central Florida that all swung the Republicans’ way in 2014, ousting Democratic incumbents. The Democrats are targeting all three.
In another one, a potentially strong primary contest may be emerging, in Orange County-based House District 47, where three Democrats are running for the chance to take on state Rep. Mike Miller, and two of them have gotten off to decent fundraising starts.
Miller has raised $74,200, including $15,950 he raised in December.
He’ll get to wait out the Democratic primary where at least two candidates have shown an ability to raise money, though far less than Miller so far
Attorney Henry Lim finished 2015 with $17,580 in contributions and $11,947 on hand, while television engineering contractor Elizabeth Ann Tuura raised $15,218 all in the final six weeks of the year, and had $14,639 left. The third Democrat, Clinton Eugene Curtis, has not reported raising any contributions yet, though he has strong ties with Orlando-area unions.
Democrat Carlos Guillermo Smith has raised $71,650 and no opponents yet in the other swing district, east Orange County’s House District 49.
That’s because incumbent Republican state Rep. Rene Plasencia has moved to the other east Orange County district, House District 50, where he has raised $85,476 and has about $55,000 in the bank. His primary opponent, George Joseph Collins is self-funding most of his campaign, with more than $22,500 in loans and $2,085 in contributions.
Awaiting them is Democrat Sean Graham Ashby, who has raised $5,087.
In Sanford-based House District 28, Republican state Rep. Jason Brodeur leads all area house candidates with $163,335 raised and about $125,000 of that in the bank.
He has three challengers: a Democrat, a Libertarian and an independent, but they’ve barely raised $3,000 among them.
State Rep. Randolph Bracy reported raising $34,068 but finished the year with less money on hand than one of his primary challengers in the Orange County-based House District 45. Bracy finished with $2,385, while Gregory Allen Jackson raised $5,585 and finished with $3,948 left. Another Democrat, Kelvin Lawrance Cobaris finished with $1,190 on hand.
In another primary, Democratic state Rep. John Cortes reported raising just $15,010 so far and ended the year with $8,745 left. His challenger in Osceola County’s House District 43, Sara Katherine Shaw raised $1,500 and spent almost all of it.
In eastern Osceola House District 42, Republican state Rep. Mike La Rosa raised $15,500 in December to give him $75,365 on the year, of which he has about $52,000 left.
His two Democratic opponents, Bienvenido John Valentin Jr. and John A. Ferentinos reported raising less than $2,000 between them.
In other Central Florida House races:
State Rep. Victor Torres reported raising $10,600 in December for a total of $55,772, with about $45,000 left and no challengers in his south Orange/north Osceola County House District 48. Torres reportedly is considering switching to run for the state Senate in the district of state Sen. Darren Soto of Orlando, who is running for Congress instead of re-election.
Republican state Rep. Scott Plakon has raised $50,067 and has about $42,000 left, without an opponent in House District 29, in western Seminole County.
Republican state Rep. Jennifer Sullivan has raised $77,478 and has about $43,000 left, without an opponent, in eastern Lake County.
Republican state Rep. Eric Eisnaugle raised $80,640 with about $72,000 left. His Democrat opponent in western Orange County’s House District 44 David Michael Trotter did not enter the race until just before Christmas and has not yet reported raising any money.
Democratic state Rep. Bruce Antone has raised just $2,000, according to filed reports. He is uncontested in House District 46, in west Orange County.
