John Rutherford now has more than $300K for re-election bid

Rep. John Rutherford, the Jacksonville Republican representing Florida’s 4th Congressional District, now has $300,000 in the bank for his re-election campaign.

Rutherford had not been aggressively fundraising before the just-concluded quarter. Rutherford ended 2017 with $183,748 on hand.

Among interesting donors for Rutherford: Jacksonville donor Peter Rummell, who recently stated that he would only give money to candidates who backed a ban on assault weapons. Rutherford has never taken that position.

Clear Channel, Viacom, Walmart, and Rayonier PACs all donated last quarter.

Rutherford has no credible primary opposition; meanwhile, the Democratic field is still shaking out.

Fundraising numbers are comparably feeble for Jacksonville candidates Joceline Berrios and Monica DePaul, as well as Ponte Vedra businessman George Selmont.

Selmont has just over $6,000 on hand. Berrios and DePaul have yet to report at this writing.

The three Democrats will participate in a forum Monday evening at a meeting of Duval County Democrats.