Drew Wilson
Tampa Republican Rep. Dana Young raised another $25,000 between June 25 and July 8 for an on-hand total of nearly $395,000 in her campaign account for the Senate District 18 race.
Young brought in the money though 47 contributions, including a pair of $1,000 checks from South Florida attorney John Hoffman and his law firm as well as max contributions from pari-mutuel companies Isle of Capri Casinos and PPI.
Young also spent $19,715 last month, mostly on consulting. Among the expenditures were $5,000 for Tallahassee-based Prosequence, $4,500 to Sydney Ridley and $3,800 to Trent Phillips, all for consulting work.
The House Majority Leader’s main competition is Democrat Bob Buesing, who raised $15,176 and spent $10,423 during the reporting period. The Tampa attorney’s donor roll included three $1,000 checks and an additional $13,895 in in-kind support from the Florida Democratic Party.
The report shows Buesing with a little more than $118,000 on hand.
SD 18 has also drawn a pair of no-party candidates, Joe Redner and Sheldon Upthegrove, who have $3,700 and $110 on hand, respectively.
District 18 has a tight split in voter registrations, with Democrats making up slightly more of the electorate than Republicans. Back in 2012, President Barack Obama carried the district by about a point, while Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson won re-election by a 16-point margin.
