Drew Wilson
May finance reports aren’t due for more than a week, but preliminary numbers show Tampa Republican Sen. Dana Young had already raised $169,500 for an affiliated political committee as of May 24.
The in-progress report for her challenger, House Minority Leader Janet Cruz, shows just $3,000 in committee cash for the month.
According to the May prelims posted on the Friends of Dana Young website, the Senate District 18 incumbent has received 19 checks this month, including eight contributions of $10,000 or more.
The backbone of that haul includes a $25,000 contribution from OD-EYEPAC, received May 11, followed by a half-dozen $15,000 donors: FTBA Transportation PAC, Realtors Political Advocacy Committee, Comcast Corporation, Florida Medical Association PAC, Greg E. Lindberg and Floridian’s For a Stronger Democracy, a political committee chaired by Ryan Tyson.
Disney checked in at the $10,000 level, making for $55,000 in contributions to the committee since 2015.
Spending so far totals about $49,000 and includes $28,000 in payments to Florida Finance Strategies for fundraising work, $10,000 to Issue Management for political consulting and $8,000 to Bascom Communications for communications consulting.
Cruz’ committee, Building the Bay PC, hasn’t reported any expenditures for May. Its lone contribution came in from Southport Financial Services VP Peter Leach.
Young entered May with total fundraising of $1.45 million raised and $1.1 million on hand, while Cruz had a little over $267,000 banked. That included $146,600 in fundraising as a Senate candidate as well as other funds raised prior to her entering the race in the middle of the month.
Campaign and committee finance reports for May are due to the state June 11.
