Peter Schorsch
Conservative blogger Javier Manjarres, who is still mulling a run in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, and a political committee with ties to his prospective run brought in about $89,000 through the end of September.
America First Agenda started up in April and through the end of the third quarter had raised $88,706, with $13,458 of that money in the bank at the end of the reporting period.
Most of that income isn’t itemized, which the Federal Elections Commission allows for contributions of $200 or less, including multiple contributions by one donor.
Only a couple dozen itemized contributions are viewable for the committee, the largest of which was a $2,500 check from Janet Haeger of Arizona. Florida-based Minimally Invasive Surgery PA gave $1,000, as did Tatnall Hillman of Colorado, with the remaining contributions clocking in between $250 and $500.
Manjarres, who runs The Shark Tank blog and is a contributor to Breitbart News, said over the summer he was mulling a run in CD 22, which has a sizeable Democratic lean.
The potential congressional bid is viewed by some as an attempt to bury headlines about the his rap sheet – including an arrest for attempted murder last year – as well as a way to drum up direct mail business. The committee’s expense report does indeed include plenty of mailer-related payouts.
Virginia-based company Direct Mail Fundraising, LLC, got by far the biggest payday from the PAC, with more than $34,000 heading to the company for mailers and postage.
Printing and mail shop Colortree Group, another Virginia company, took in nearly $11,000 for advertising, while HSP Direct took in $7,000 for design work. In all, the committee spent $75,248 from inception through the end of the third quarter.
District 22 includes Boca Raton and Highland Beach in Palm Beach County and coastal Broward County from Fort Lauderdale north. The district voted 57 percent for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016, and incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch enjoys strong popularity district voters.
