Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Eric Lynn promised to transfer $500,000 from his congressional campaign into a political committee backing his state House run, but state and federal records show Lynn moved much less than that.
Federal campaign finance records show Lynn had $273,481 in his federal campaign account as of June 30. The most recent reporting period ran from April 1 to June 30.
Lynn announced in May he was ending his bid in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, opting instead to run for the state House. At the time, he told FloridaPolitics.com he would immediately move $250,000 to the state political committee and move another $250,000 once he paid all of his outstanding federal campaign debts.
“We are prepared to spend every dollar we have raised and continue to raise,” he said at the time. “We will have more (than) enough money to communicate our message.”
State records show Lynn’s congressional campaign did give $250,000 to “Pinellas Community Voters Fund,” the political committee backing his state House 68 bid, on May 31. The committee received another $50,000 from the congressional campaign account on Aug. 22.
Lynn has a few options for what he can do with any surplus funds. He can return it to donors, give it to a party committee, or donate to another candidate. He can also roll it over to a future congressional bid.
Lynn faced Democrat Ben Diamond in the Aug. 30 Democratic primary. Diamond won the primary with 54 percent of the vote. Lynn received 46 percent.
Diamond will now face Joseph “JB” Bensmihen in the November general election.
