Drew Wilson
Facing challengers in August and November, Key Largo Republican Rep. Holly Raschein tacked on another $21,680 last month for her re-election campaign in House District 120.
Her May campaign finance report, posted Thursday, shows that sum coming in via 42 contributions, about half of which measured in in at $250 or less.
Among the 15 donors topping the report with $1,000 checks were NBC Universal, PepsiCo, lobbyist Patrick Bell, and political committees Floridians for Home Rule, Florida ACRE, Florida Concrete & Products Association and Ocean Reef.
The expenditure report showed just under $5,000 in outflow for the month, with a quarter of that heading to Tolley & Hill for accounting services. Another $930 went toward advertising and $410 went toward fundraising expenses.
The new report brought the Monroe County Republican past the $100,000 mark in cash on hand. To date she has raised was $180,600.
Her $115,000 war chest gives her a big head start against Republican Jose Felix Peixoto, who filed in mid-April, and Democrat Stephen Richard Friedman, who filed in mid-May. Neither candidate has posted their May report, they face a June 11 deadline.
Raschein, currently in her third term, has had little trouble holding onto the seat despite Democrats holding a slim voter registration advantage in the district, which covers all of Monroe and part of southern Miami-Dade.
In 2012, the district sent Raschein to Tallahassee with a 52-48 victory over Democrat Ian Whitney. She went unopposed in 2014 and won her third term with a 14-point victory in 2016 even though HD 120 narrowly voted for Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket.
