Drew Wilson
Gainesville Republican Sen. Keith Perry outraised his opponents during the first three weeks of June, his second reporting period in a row atop the standings.
From June 1 through June 22, Perry raised $45,750 for his campaign account and tacked on another $28,000 for his political committee, Building a Prosperous Florida.
The campaign haul included numerous checks from businesses affiliated with beverage distributor Doug Cone, and political committees tied to Miami Sen. Anitere Flores, Fort Myers Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, Sanford Rep. Jason Brodeur, Fleming Island Rep. Travis Cummings and Cape Coral Rep. Dane Eagle.
Cone also showed up on the committee report with a $5,000 check, as did Elkton Sen. Travis Hutson via one of his political committees, First Coast Business Foundation.
To date, Perry has raised more than $575,000 for his 2018 re0election bid. He had $461,605 in the bank on June 22.
His leading Democratic challenger, Gainesville physician Kayser Enneking, showed $24,335 raised in her new reports, including three checks for the campaign maximum of $1,000. That contribution limit will reset for the general election if Enneking is successful in the Aug. 28 Democratic primary.
The max donors in Enneking’s new report were Gainesville pilot Jay Curtis, Jacksonville attorney Wayne Hogan and Earleton retiree Catherine Parlapiano.
Since entering the race, Enneking has raised a total of $396,400, including $10,000 in loans. On June 22, she had nearly $324,000 on hand, including $250,687 in hard money and another $73,188 in her political committee, Florida Knows Excellence.
Her primary opponent, former schoolteacher Olysha Magruder, has raised tacked on $1,450 in her report. She has raised $27,160 thus far and has $10,485 in the bank.
Also running for the seat is former Gainesville City Commissioner Charles Goston, who suffered a landslide defeat at the hands of now-commissioner Gigi Simmons earlier this year. He is running as an unaffiliated candidate, and his first report shows only a $1,300 loan in the contribution column, most of which paid for the $1,187 qualifying fee.
SD 8 covers all of Alachua and Putnam counties as well as the northern half of Marion County. It is one of a handful of districts that became more favorable to Democrats after the Senate map was redrawn ahead of the 2016 elections. It is a top target for both Republicans and Democrats this fall.
Despite Democrats holding a 9-point advantage in voter registrations, Perry ended up defeating Smith by 4 points on Election Day. SD 8 also voted in favor of Donald Trump, though only by two tenths of a point.
