Scott Powers
Those who want to see Republican state Rep. Mike Miller win re-election in his tough battle with Beth Tuura for Florida House District 47 are coming to the table.
The Orlando incumbent raised more than $52,000 in the last two weeks of September, not including another nearly $30,000 worth of in-kind services such as research, staff, and polling provided to his campaign by the Republican Party of Florida. Big checks came in from several big Central Florida business interests, and a few more from national and state political action committees.
That gave Miller nearly $212,000 cash in the bank, having raised $261,000 so far in this cycle, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Florida Division of Elections, through Sept. 30.
Tuura, also of Orlando, had a decent fundraising period herself, but decent comes nowhere close to matching Miller’s haul. She raised just over $10,000 in the last two weeks of September, about the same amount she raised the previous two weeks. But unlike Miller, Tuura had to win a bruising primary, during which she had spent nearly all of her money. So with the decent September, she finished the period with just over $15,000 in the bank.
However, she, too, has attracted recent support from her state party, indicating both parties see this race as close and winnable. The Florida Democratic Party poured nearly $27,000 worth of in-kind services into her campaign in mid-September.
The district has flipped in each of the past two elections.
She has spent $88,000 since the start of July, including $12,000 the last two weeks of September, raising her profile with voters of HD 47, which covers north-central Orange County. Miller so far has spent just $49,000, including $11,000 during the last two weeks of September.
In addition to the RPOF, Miller saw support pour in during the last two weeks of September from many of the big business players in Orlando, including $1,000 checks from four different Walt Disney Co. entities, two different Mears Co. entities, two different Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association entities, and BusinessForce, the political action arm of Central Florida chambers of commerce.
