Drew Wilson
March was another successful month for candidate Aakash Patel, who raised another $25,500 for his Hillsborough County Commission campaign.
“I am extremely excited about the continued momentum of our campaign. I am so honored by the support of my contributors and the endorsements I have received from Speaker Weatherford, Congressman Matt Gaetz and Representative Joe Gruters,” Patel said.
“The result of our hard work is reflected in the fundraising totals and the tremendous support from Republican leadership and grassroots advocates. I look forward to continued fundraising and adding additional endorsements as we move closer to the August election and beyond.”
His campaign said $21,000 of the new money came in through campaign contributions, while the remainder was raised by his political committee, Elevate Tampa. The numbers bring his total fundraising past the $400,000 mark.
On hand totals for the campaign and committee weren’t noted, but at the end of February, he had $157,222 in his campaign account and more than $90,000 on hand in the committee.
Patel, a Tampa Republican, is one of three candidates running to replace Commissioner Sandy Murman, who is expected to leave her District 1 seat to run for the countywide District 7 in 2018.
He faces fellow Republican C. Todd Marks and Democratic Rep. Janet Cruz, who may leave the race to challenge Republican Sen. Dana Young in Senate District 18.
Neither have uploaded their March reports. Marks finished February with $53,880 in his campaign account, while Cruz had about $61,000.
