Scott Powers
Republican state Rep. Jason Brodeur had a very, very good fundraising month in February for his campaign for state Senate District 9, raising nearly $88,000 in his campaign account and another $318,000 for his political committee.
But then he gave much of it back.
“We worked real, real hard,” Brodeur, of Sanford, stated in comments to FloridaPolitics.com, adding that his PAC, Friends of Jason Brodeur, is going to report in April that it raised another $100,000 in the first few days of March before the Legislative Session started and shut down all fundraising.
However, a big chunk of the money went around in a circle, leaving Friends of Jason Brodeur’s coffers just a few days after it came in.
The incoming money to Friends of Jason Brodeur included a Feb. 8 $150,000 donation from the Florida Committee for Conservative Leadership, run by Republican state Reps. Ben Albritton, Jr. of Wauchula and Matt Caldwell of North Fort Myers.
Then, at the end of February, Friends of Jason Brodeur donated $165,000o to Friends of Matt Caldwell, another committee supporting Caldwell.
All totaled, Friends of Jason Brodeur brought in $318,000 in February but donated or spent $173,000.
Seven other political committees also each donated more than $10,000 to Friends of Jason Brodeur during the month, from other political committees, health care and food interests.
His official campaign picked up scores of checks for $1,000, primarily from political committees and health care and hospitality interests.
Brodeur is running to succeed state Sen. David Simmons, who’ll be term-limited out in 2020.
His February hauls give him $100,000 in his official campaign chest, and $910,000 in his PAC.
That dwarfs other Senate candidates from Central Florida.
Democratic state Sen. Randolph Bracy of Oakland raised $17,000 in February to start his campaign fund for a 2020 re-election bid in Senate District 11. Democratic state Sen. Victor Torres of Orlando has not yet reported raising any money for his 2020 re-election bid in Senate District 15.
