A.G. Gancarski
Jacksonville State Rep. Jay Fant looked to be facing a cash crunch in his race for the 2018 GOP attorney general nomination against former Hillsborough County Judge Ashley Moody.
For a third straight month, Fant’s “Pledge This Day” committee raised no funds. Fant’s committee has $54,000 on hand.
However, Fant looks poised to at least close that gap on September reports — putting $750,000 in, as we can report first, in addition to another $28,800 in donations.
The loan is the eye-popping number though.
Fant, who did not invoice longtime consultants at Front Line Strategies in September (they work together on a “project-project basis,” asserted his spokesman), will want to demonstrate seriousness to consultants. And $750,000 demonstrates considerable seriousness.
Fant said last week that he is “investing [his] own funds because Floridians deserve an alternative to the establishment candidates in the field. “
Fant adds that his team has “over a year until the election and we are just getting started. Our donor and grassroots support are strong and we are looking forward to the next 13 months on the campaign trail.”
Fant’s campaign notes this infusion brings him to $958K in total fundraising. And the loan puts him on pace with his primary opponent.
Attorney General hopeful Ashley Moody announced Monday that she has raised more than $1 million in her campaign since announcing her candidacy in June.
That total includes $850,000 into her campaign coffers and an additional $200,000 into Friends of Ashley Moody, her political action committee.
On the Democratic side, the sole filed candidate — Ryan Torrens — had just over $13,000 on hand at the end of August. Torrens has yet to file September’s report.
