Chris King adds $610K in March to his gubernatorial campaign account

Orlando-area businessman Chris King added nearly $610,000 for his gubernatorial campaign in March.

The total puts King at $4.1 million in total fundraising between his campaign and political committee since he entered the race in March 2017. An announcement said the two accounts combined to more than $2.1 million on hand heading into April.

“Democrats want a real progressive who rejects conventional politics and Chris continues to impress voters across Florida as he introduces himself to the electorate,” said Omar Khan, senior adviser to King’s campaign.

“As other candidates from the political establishment struggle to break through to the voters, Chris is amassing the resources that any candidate will need to compete in this wide-open race.”

The campaign also announced it will open a new campaign HQ in Orlando on Tuesday.

King faces Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former congresswoman Gwen Graham and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine in the Democratic Primary.

Of the four, only Levine outperformed King for the reporting period, though his $1 million total for March was bolstered by $470,000 in self-funding. Graham came in a close third behind King with about $600,000 raised, while Gillum raised $336,000 for the month.

Overall, Levine holds the top spot in the primary race with approximately $11 million raised, followed by Graham with $6.4 million, King at $4.1 million and Gillum at $2.6 million.

On the Republican side, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is running against Northeast Florida U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in the primary. House Speaker Richard Corcoran is likely to join the primary race in the coming weeks.

Putnam leads the overall field by several million dollars, including $1.77 million in committee money raised last month.