Scott Powers
U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy‘s campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate hauled in $1.46 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, the campaign said Tuesday.
The total raises Murphy’s cash-on-hand balance to $4.3 million, according to the campaign. That’s only a modest increase from the $3.5 million that the Jupiter Democrat reported in the bank at the end of the third quarter, but his quarterly spending has ramped up as he has filled out much of his campaign staff in the last three months.
He’s facing U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson in the primary. Grayson has not yet announced his fourth-quarter numbers, but he ended the third quarter well behind Murphy, with only $258,000 in the bank, and saw his staff shrink, and not grow during the period.
Murphy also finished the third quarter well ahead of the Republicans vying for the post, which is being vacated by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who is running for president.
So far, the only Republican who has announced his fourth-quarter numbers is U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, who was the strongest financially earlier among the GOP candidates. He said he had raised $772,000 in the final three months of 2015.
In the fourth quarter, Murphy received contributions from over 2,500 new donors, and 85 percent of all contributions were from grassroots supporters, his campaign said.
“I’m both proud and humbled by the support our campaign has received from across Florida, and I will continue working hard to earn the trust of every single Floridian,” Murphy stated in a news release. “My priorities are clear. I will fight every day to protect Social Security and Medicare for our seniors, fight for women’s health care, and work to strengthen our middle class for Florida families.”
“Patrick has built strong grassroots support across the state, and he will continue working hard to ensure that our campaign has the resources necessary to share his message with every Florida voter — both in the primary and general election,” Murphy Campaign Manager Josh Wolf stated in the release.
