Democrat Rod Smith raises more than $171K in April

Rod Smith raised more than $170,000 in April, his campaign announced on Monday.

The campaign announced Smith raised $171,625 in the one-month fundraising period. Of that sum, $87,375 went into his personal campaign account. The remaining $84,250 was given to Independent Leadership for Florida, the political committee supporting Smith’s election.

The April numbers boost the amount Smith has raised to $456,210.

“Because of Rod’s hard work over the last month, he has again put together a strong month of fundraising,” said campaign manager Andy Bilyk. “With more than 740 individual contributions to the campaign to date, it’s clear Floridians will trust Rod in the state Senate because they know he’ll make responsible decisions to put families and small businesses first.”

Smith served in the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2006, where he earned a reputation for working across the aisle to get legislation passed for his district.

Prior to joining the Florida Legislature, Smith was the State Attorney of the Eighth Judicial Circuit. In that role, he successfully prosecuted Danny Rolling for killing a Gainesville student.

The Alachua County Democrat faces Gainesville Republican Rep. Keith Perry in the Senate District 8 race.