A.G. Gancarski
Ryan Torrens, the sole Democrat running for Attorney General, is fundraising off his pledge to turn down Big Pharma money.
The Tampa attorney pushed out an email Tuesday afternoon seeking small-dollar donations for his “people-powered” campaign.
“I am declining any campaign contributions from Big Pharma because I need the freedom to do what’s right as your attorney general,” Torrens writes.
“My promise is that I will hold Big Pharma accountable and proceeds from our lawsuit would be directed to substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. Let’s face it, it’s wrong for the taxpayers to have to foot the whole bill for this crisis when the drug companies manufacture this stuff and have lied about its addictive qualities for years on end,” Torrens adds.
The fundraising email is timed to capitalize on a Tampa Bay Times article that sees Torrens take a hard position against the pharmaceutical industry, proposing a lawsuit against companies for “misleading marketing.”
Torrens, a Democrat, is staring up at most of the GOP field in the money race. The leading candidate, Pensacola Rep. Frank White, has raised/self-financed close to $2 million. Ashley Moody, a retired judge from Hillsborough County, also has raised more than a million dollars. And Jacksonville Rep. Jay Fant has also raised/self-financed into seven figures.
Torrens has raised just over $58,000 and has under $4,000 on hand. He has spent more than he has raised for five straight months, suggesting that people power has a high burn rate.
Of those three big-money Republicans, only White has taken money from the pharmaceutical industry; Moody and Fant have taken money from pharmacists.
