Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Frank Artiles continues to outpace Dwight Bullard in the Senate District 40 fundraising race, collecting more than 10 times more than Bullard in the first week of October.
State records show Artiles raised a combined $80,136 —$25,136 to his official campaign and $55,000 to his political committee — between Oct. 1 and Oct. 7. Records show Bullard raised $7,300 during the same time period.
Bullard received $1,000 donations from Agents for a Better Florida, Florida Organization of Agents, Florida Laborers Political Committee, and 1199 SEIU Florida PC. He also received $500 contributions from Auto Data Direct and the Florida Physical Therapy Association.
Records show Bullard spent $1,049 in the one-week fundraising period. He ended the week with $64,282 in the bank.
Bullard defeated Democrats Andrew Korge and Ana Rivas Logan in August to win the Democratic primary. It was a hotly contested and expensive race, with Korge raising $472,360 and spending $422,065 on his failed bid. Bullard won the primary with 49 percent of the vote; Korge came in second with 22 percent.
The general election is expected to be just as expensive, and Senate leadership has lined up to back Artiles.
State records show Artiles received $19,260 in in-kind support from the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee during the reporting period. He also received $1,000 contributions from Government that Works for You, RAI Services Company, Liberty Florida, and Building a Better Florida.
His official campaign spent $206 during the one-week period. The campaign had $152,855 in the bank at the end of the fundraising period.
Records show Veterans for Conservative Principles, Artiles’ committee, raised $55,000 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 7. The vast majority of that sum, $50,000, came from Innovate Florida, the political committee run by Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano.
Veterans for Conservative Principles spent $50,430 during the fundraising period. It ended the week with $81,855 cash-on-hand.
