Drew Wilson
Sarasota Democratic Rep. Margaret Good hasn’t let up in fundraising since she turned HD 72 blue with a February special election win over Republican James Buchanan.
Good added $62,605 to her campaign account last month, bringing her total campaign fundraising for the 2018 cycle to $82,700. She has $78,500 in the bank.
“I continue to be humbled by and grateful for the outpouring of support for the campaign. Our campaign is fueled by grassroots support. In our April reporting period, 387 individual donors contributed to our re-election effort; they want to continue the work we began after winning the special election in February,” Good said.
“The foundation of our campaign is grassroots; it’s community members who want our government to reflect our values. Sarasotans want a robust economy, a strong public school system that prepares children for a highly competitive future, and protection for our precious land and Gulf. Sarasotans know they can count on me to fight for them.”
Some notable figures for April: Good received 245 from donations from small-dollar donors giving $100 or less; she took in 31 checks for the campaign max of $1,000; and more than 90 percent of the money raised came from within the Sunshine State.
The April report shows her far ahead of her lone challenger, former Republican Rep. Ray Pilon.
Pilon held the Sarasota County seat for three terms before he abandoned it to mount an unsuccessful state Senate bid in 2016. He filed for a return trip to Tallahassee via HD 72 back in March and through two campaign reports – the same number as Good – he’s raised $18,600.
Pilon’s April report showed $11,000 raised, an improvement over his first report, and at nearly 50 names his donor roll wouldn’t be considered short compared to most candidates not named Margaret Good.
He started May with $14,770 in the bank, including a $1,000 loan to kick start his campaign.
