Staff Reports
The race to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in Florida’s 6th Congressional District is going to be an expensive one, with multiple candidates touting eyepopping receipts.
Mike Waltz, one of three Republican hopefuls, announced Friday that he has raised more than $1 million through Q2 2018.
Waltz has raised $1,011,987 this year.
“Notable quarter 2 donors include the DeVos family, owners of the Orlando Magic, Charles Schwab, chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation and Tom Wright, well-known Volusia County philantropist,” the campaign reports.
“I am proud of the support we are recieving from hardworking Floridians across North Florida,” said Waltz. “As I’ve walked door-to-door across the district, I hear over and over that people want a combat veteran representing them in Washington who will stand up for our shared conservative values.”
Waltz is running against former state Rep. Fred Costello and businessman John Ward. Ward, who has the capacity and willingness to self-fund, had raised over $900,000, with over $700,000 on hand, back at the end of March.
In a switch, the leading fundraiser in the entire field is a Democrat, and one with a household name.
Democrat and former U.S. Ambassador Nancy Soderberg announced Friday that she’d raised another $540,000 for her campaign.
The $540,000 Q2 performance is her best yet and makes for nearly $1.5 million in total fundraising since she entered the race in July 2017. The campaign finance report is not yet viewable on the Federal Elections Commission website, though the campaign said it finished the quarter with “nearly” $1 million cash on hand.
Soderberg faces Stephen Sevigny and John Upchurch in the Democratic primary for CD 6, which covers a stretch of Florida’s east coast from southern St. Johns County to New Smyrna Beach.
Material from Drew Wilson and A.G. Gancarski was used in this post.
