Drew Wilson
Gulf Breeze Republican Alex Andrade hit the $75,000 mark in total fundraising after bringing in $7,825 for his House District 2 campaign in February.
HD 2 is currently held by freshman Republican Rep. Frank White, who decided last year he would forego re-election to run for Attorney General.
Andrade opened his campaign account in November, shortly after White’s announcement, and raised more than $50,000 in his first month in the race, including $10,000 in loans.
His February report shows 22 contributions, including $1,000 checks from Pensacola engineer Fred Donovan and a political committee tied to the Florida Transportation Builders Association.
Following the top donors were eight contributions at the $500 level – one from the Good Ideas for Government PC and another seven from individuals. More than half of Andrade’s February haul came from within, or very near, the district, which covers a coastal strip of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Spending came in at just under $2,000 for the month. Campaign shirts and hats made up $1,200 of that total, followed by $250 for a sponsorship at the Greater Pensacola Chamber. Most of the rest went toward travel and catering expenses.
In all, Andrade has raised $75,366 and pitched in another $10,000 of his own money through four months on the trail. He heads into March with $73,637 in the bank.
Andrade is the only Republican running for HD 2. William Bussing signed up for the seat in December, but withdrew shortly after New Year’s.
Democrat Ray Guillory, who also ran in 2016, opened a campaign account in March 2017 and only has about $30 on hand.
HD 2 is one of the least crimson districts in Northwest Florida but is still firmly GOP.
In the 2016 cycle White trounced Guillory with 61 percent of the vote. President Donald Trump ran a few points behind White, beating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton 56-36 while Libertarian Gary Johnson took 3.5 percent.
