A.G. Gancarski
Much has been made of the political committee of 4th Circuit State Attorney candidate Melissa Nelson.
“First Coast Values,” Nelson’s committee, has advertised heavily on television in recent weeks.
The committee has raised $541,000 and has $174,000 of it on hand thus far.
However, “First Coast Values” is not the only political committee operating in the state attorney’s race.
“Citizens for Justice” is a political committee Angela Corey‘s campaign says is “supportive” of the incumbent’s bid for a third term.
So far, the committee hasn’t shown much activity.
It’s raised $43,850 and has spent $1,025 so far.
However, there may be potential for more activity in the political committee, based on some of the big names that have already given.
Jacksonville Civic Council Chairman Ed Burr has given $5,000.
Tom Petway, meanwhile, gave $10,000.
Is this major money for these men? Not exactly.
Could they go deeper? Perhaps.
Corey has gotten over 200 maximum contributions on the hard money side of the campaign, many of them from before Nelson entered the race. And many of them from 2015.
The question now: how committed are those hard-money donors to ensuring Corey’s committee has the money it will need to counter opposition that is, as of now, better financed than she is? They aren’t showing up when it comes to the political committee.
MIA: such big names as Firehouse Subs and the Sorensen family, Gate Petroleum and the Peytons, W.W. Gay, and the Fraternal Order of Police, all of which maxed out earlier.
Will they have Angela Corey’s back when she needs them the most? Or were they donating early on because they wanted to back someone who seemed to have re-election locked up?
That may be the question that determines Corey’s political future.
