Scott Powers
Democrat Bob Healy, a political newcomer, raised more than $10,000 in campaign funds for his effort in Kissimmee-based Senate District 15 in April, outperforming two better-known political veterans, Democratic state Rep. Victor Torres and Republican Peter Vivaldi.
Healy’s $10,114 April haul compared with $8,494 for Torres and $8,011 for Vivaldi, who didn’t enter the race until midway through the month.
Yet it is Torres who holds a sizable campaign money advantage for the moment, with more than $54,000 in the bank, most of it rolled over from his state representative campaigns. Healy, who entered the race in late February, finished April with $10,643, while Vivaldi, a former Republican congressional candidate who does not have to worry about a primary right now, finished with $7,011.
All are relatively small totals for a state senate race, though none of the candidates got into the race until this year. The seat is being vacated by state Sen. Darren Soto, who is running for Congress in Congressional District 9. SD 15 leans strongly Democratic.
During the month, Vivaldi hired Brett Doster‘s Front Line Strategies of Tallahassee as a campaign consultant, while Torres hired BeatCreative of Orlando for social media services.
