Drew Wilson
Byron Donalds added another $6,800 to his House District 80 campaign account last month, boosting his total fundraising past the $90,000 mark after one year in the race.
“We are truly blessed to have so many people in Collier and Hendry counties believe in us. We won’t let up. We will keep working hard each and every day through the Republican primary on Aug. 30, then onto the general election on Nov. 7,” Donalds said. “There’s no doubt our fundraising success is a reflection of the local community rallying to our message of conservative leadership.”
Notable donors this month include lobbyist Ron Book, who chipped in $1,000, as well as a handful of Donalds’ family members.
The candidate’s February haul was offset by $2,860 in expenditures, including an $1,890 payment to Tallahassee-based Campaign Insights for a mail campaign, leaving the Southwest Florida businessman with $73,898 on hand at the end of the month.
The Florida State University alumnus’ only competition so far is fellow Republican Joseph Davidow, who entered the race in June 2015, three months after Donalds.
The Naples attorney added an even $2,500 for the month and spent about $840, leaving him with $22,185 on hand heading into March. Among his four contributions last month was a $1,000 check from West Palm Beach law firm Roca & Linares, PA.
The two Republicans are fighting to replace current HD 80 Republican Rep. Matt Hudson, who is running for Senate against fellow Republican Rep. Kathleen Passidomo. HD 80 leans heavily toward the GOP, with about 12,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, is unlikely to draw a Democratic candidate.
Hudson went unopposed to win his final term in the district, and in the 2012 cycle, he ran over his only opponent, no-party candidate Pam Brown, with two-thirds of the vote on Election Day.
