Ryan Nicol
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is out with new fundraising numbers in his campaign to hold off a tough challenge by Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
Those numbers show just how tough it will be, with Nelson trailing Scott big-time in the money race.
Nelson’s campaign says he raised $4.4 million in the second quarter of 2018, leaving him with $13.7 million on hand.
That’s less than half of what Scott pulled in during the same time period, after his campaign touted a “historic” total of $10.7 million raised.
While money isn’t everything in a campaign, those numbers may put a scare into some Democrats, who see Florida as a vital battleground for control of the U.S. Senate.
Despite the lagging totals, the Nelson campaign found some bright spots in the numbers, noting more than 18,000 people contributed to the campaign for the first time. That compares with 11,000 who contributed to Scott’s campaign, according to Scott’s own numbers.
“Across Florida people are energized – knocking on doors, making phone calls and contributing to support this campaign because they know Bill Nelson has and always will put Florida first,” campaign manager Marley Wilkes said.
“This record breaking quarter with nearly 20,000 new supporters proves Floridians know Bill Nelson fights for them every day to protect Medicare and Social Security and keep protections for those with preexisting conditions to ensure they have access to health care and working to protect Florida’s environment.”
According to a release from the Nelson campaign, “Of the more than 90,000 people who have contributed to Nelson’s campaign, over 60,000 are grassroots supporters who have contributed $50 or less, with an average campaign contribution of $68 in the second quarter.”
Whatever the candidates’ fundraising position implies, polling shows the race remains tight.
Surveys have been conflicted as to which candidate leads the race. RealClearPolitics currently shows Scott ahead by two points after aggregating available data.
