Peter Schorsch
A political committee founded by former Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords is funding a $20,000 direct mail campaign against incumbent Republican John Mica in Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
Gifford’s committee, “Americans for Responsible Solutions,” advocates for candidates and legislation to reduce gun violence, and has come out in support of Democrat Stephanie Murphy in the CD 7 contest.
Giffords, also a Democrat, was the victim of an assassination attempt outside a grocery store in 2011.
Mica, who has been in the U.S. House since 1992, has a significant financial advantage over Murphy.
The incumbent brought in nearly $400,000 in contributions between Aug. 11 and the end of September, according to his most recent quarterly report, and has more than $1.1 million on hand.
Murphy wasn’t far behind in third-quarter fundraising, banking $387,000, though her campaign has raised a total of $567,000 this cycle and her $166,000 on-hand total is dwarfed by Mica.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC also have stepped in for Murphy, with the DCCC spending more than $1 million on media buys in support of her since the last week of September.
CD 7 is competitive for both parties, though there are slightly more registered Republicans than Democrats in the district. In 2012, President Barack Obama carried the district by a handful of votes, though U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson won by 15 points. Two years earlier, CD 7 voted for Republican Gov. Rick Scott by one point.
