Ryan Nicol
Republican Matt Spritz showed off a strong month of fundraising in April, bringing in nearly $19,000 in his House District 89 bid. Spritz is one of five candidates running to replace Republican Bill Hager, who is term-limited.
Spritz pulled in $8,800 to his campaign account while his committee, Invest in Florida, raised an even $10,000. That leaves Spritz with nearly $115,000 on hand in his campaign fund, including $40,000 in loans. Spritz also has more than $33,000 available in his committee.
The fundraising news follows a recent series of endorsements announced by the Spritz campaign. Those include nods from several current Florida House members, along with former state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff and former U.S. Senator George LeMieux.
That will help Spritz, a Boca Raton attorney, in his quest to defeat Michael Caruso in the Republican primary, which will take place on August 28.
Caruso’s report shows $4,900 in new money and $17,380 in spending. Caruso’s $136,000 campaign total puts him in the lead when it comes to hard money, though Spritz edges him out by about $9,000 when his two accounts are combined. Caruso’s campaign fund is bolstered by $110,000 in candidate loans.
On the Democratic side, James Bonfiglio will take on Ryan Rossi. Deborah Gibson, an unaffiliated candidate, is also running for the HD 89 seat.
The district covers a portion of Palm Beach County coast and leans Republican. Hager has held it since HD 89 was redrawn prior to the 2012 elections. He won that election by nearly five points.
Hagar was unopposed in his most recent run, in 2016.
