Drew Wilson
Republican Ashley Moody added a pair of endorsements for her Attorney General campaign Thursday from Panhandle Reps. Clay Ingram and Jay Trumbull.
Moody is a former prosecutor and circuit court judge who stepped down from the bench earlier this year to run for the state’s attorney general post, which is opening up due to Pam Bondi hitting term limits in 2018.
“Northwest Florida has a long history of accomplished leaders in the Florida Legislature and that legacy continues on in the conservative leadership of Representative Ingram and Representative Trumbull,” Moody said. “They’ve led on tough issues and been true advocates for their districts. To have their support means so much to our campaign, and to me personally.”
The endorsements from Ingram and Trumbull add to a long list of GOP backers Moody has amassed since entering the race at the beginning of June, including U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, all five Republicans on the Hillsborough County Commission and the Sheriffs of Brevard, Pasco and Pinellas counties.
Still, the biggest endorsement to date came from Bondi herself.
The second-term attorney general threw her weight behind Moody, a longtime friend, before the ink had a chance to dry on the filing paperwork.
“I’ve known her most of her life,” Bondi told the Tampa Bay Times in June. “I don’t think there could be a more qualified candidate for attorney general in the entire state of Florida. I whole-heartedly support Ashley and I’m proud of her for wanting to sacrifice so much for our state.”
Those early shows of support came despite – or perhaps because of – Jacksonville Rep. Jay Fant’s candidacy.
He and Moody are currently the only two Republicans running to take over for Bondi, and though Fant got off to a strong start with $150,000 raised in his first two months, his numbers flatlined after Moody entered the picture.
He filed a month ahead of Moody and through August had raised almost $180,000 with about $155,000 in the bank. Moody, through the same date, had racked up $756,000 for her campaign and had about $733,000 on hand.
A chunk of that money was even snagged from a fundraiser in Fant’s home turf.
The fifth-generation Floridian and three-time University of Florida alumna also has a political committee, “Friends of Ashley Moody,” which showed $137,500 raised in 10 weeks on its August report.
