Drew Wilson
Gonzalez Republican Rebekah Bydlak added nearly $6,000 in campaign funds last month in the race to replace termed-out Rep. Clay Ingram in House District 1.
Bydlak’s April report showed $5,291 in new money across 22 contributions. More than half of those came in from small-dollar donors giving $200 or less, though she also picked up three checks for $1,000 each.
At the top of the donor list were AppRiver VP Chris Cain, Gulf Breeze attorney Justine Simoni and William S. Jones-chaired political committee Accountability in Government.
Spending measured in at $1,666, including a $1,000 payment to Gainesville-based Data Targeting Research for consulting services, $350 for accounting work and the rest for various campaign expenses such as credit card processing fees.
The new money brings Bydlak’s total fundraising to $118,500 since filing for the race in August. She had $95,690 on hand at the end of the month.
That number is likely to see a substantial jump in her next report, as this week Ingram hosted a fundraiser benefitting her campaign that brought in numerous Republican lawmakers from around the state, including former House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, former Senate President Don Gaetz, Bradenton Rep. Jim Boyd, Sanford Rep. Jason Brodeur, Eucheeanna Rep. Brad Drake, Hialeah Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., Vero Beach Rep. Erin Grall, Tampa Rep. James Grant and Panama City Rep. Jay Trumbull.
Bydlak faces former Pensacola Rep. Mike Hill in the primary, and so far her fundraising efforts have yielded three times the campaign cash of the former lawmaker. Hill’s April report is not yet available, but through March he had raised $34,585 and had about $23,900 on hand.
HD 1 is a safe Republican seat and Ingram’s replacement will the winner of the Aug. 28 primary, though the Republican nominee will not go unopposed on Election Day.
Democrat Vikki Garrett is also running for the seat. She tacked on $895 last month and got a $360 payment for marketing refunded to her account, leaving her with negative spending in April. Heading into May, she had $7,337 in the bank.
HD 1 covers the bulk of Escambia County, including the communities of Century, Molino, Gonzalez, Ensley, Ferry Pass, Belleview and Brent. Ingram has held the seat since it was redrawn in 2012. Prior to that, he held the old HD 2.
