A.G. Gancarski
In the three-way GOP primary in HD 19, Katherine Van Zant widened her fundraising lead over Bobby Payne and former RPOF Chairwoman Leslie Dougher in January.
Van Zant’s money raised is approaching $119,000, leaving her with over $93,000 cash on hand.
Interesting donations: Dayspring Village, the Janet and Doug Adkins mental health care facility, ponied up $250. And Jacksonville’s Gary Chartrand, a charter school enthusiast and former chairman of the state Board of Education, maxed out.
Also in the mix: Kenny Leigh, a Fleming Island “divorce attorney for men only” and Clay County School Board candidate (presumably, willing to take votes from both genders), gave Van Zant $500.
Payne raised just $1,700 in January, bringing the Palatka Republican’s total near $52,000, with just over $47,000 on hand.
Meanwhile, Dougher is in trouble.
January was her third straight month with less than $2,000 raised ($1,752), and her second straight month where money going out the door exceeded that coming in.
Dougher has just $24,000 cash on hand. Her contributions are generally below the maximum amount and not from people of influence, yet she is spending like a candidate with more of a fundraising base, with almost $5,500 spent in January.
About $625 of that money went to TWG Technologies, a subsidiary of the Whitson Group, for “campaign software.” And $4,500 of that spend went to “consulting fees,” $2,000 to Winning Concepts USA and $2,500 to NG Strategies.
If Dougher doesn’t get her fundraising right soon, all of the premium-priced consulting and software in the world isn’t going to help her, as all the Clay County momentum is with Van Zant, the wife of the current incumbent.
