A.G. Gancarski
In Northeast Florida, most of the live state House races and the only state Senate race are characterized by a fundamental cash disparity.
Republicans have serious bank; Democrats are far behind.
However, this most recently reported week saw Republicans coasting while Democrats actually won the weekly tally battle (even as cash-on-hand was less buoyant for them).
The Democrat running for state Senate, District 4’s Billee Bussard outraised incumbent Republican Aaron Bean, bringing in $4,445. Meanwhile, between his campaign account and that of his Florida Conservative Alliance political committee, Bean brought in just $3,250 between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5.
However, Bean has roughly $93,000 in hard money and nearly $86,000 more in the committee coffers. This gives him a nearly 20 to 1 cash advantage over Bussard, who has roughly $9,000 on hand.
Bussard, for those interested in helping her cause, has a funder Monday.
In majority-Republican House District 11, incumbent Cord Byrd is winning the fundraising battle with Democrat Nathcelly Rohrbaugh.
Byrd has been a relatively relaxed fundraiser, and the week between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 was no exception.
Byrd raised $4,150 off five checks to his campaign account, bringing that north of $53,000 on hand. Additionally, the first-term Representative has nearly $10,000 in his 1845 political committee.
Rohrbaugh brought in $1,300 during the week, pushing his campaign account near $17,000 on hand.
HD 11 is closer than HD 12 and 16 in aggregate.
Clay Yarborough, running for re-election in Southside Jacksonville’s Republican-plurality House District 12, likewise had modest fundraising ($3,100 in the last week) and bigger spending ($9,043) as the election approaches. He has $98,000 on hand.
Democrat Tim Yost raised $1,258 during the same period, and carries $9,000 into the final stretch of the campaign.
Turning to House District 16, State Rep. Jason Fischer, first-term Republican, has had a consistent cash lead over Democrat Ken Organes.
Fischer did not fundraise between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5. Fischer had nearly $108,000 in his campaign account, and under $5,000 in the account of his political committee, Conservative Solutions for Jacksonville.
Organes, meanwhile, brought in $1,225 over the same period, and has just over $26,500 on hand.
One race is an obvious outlier to this trend: the clash for an open seat in HD 15, between Democrat Tracye Polson and Republican Wyman Duggan.
These candidates will be fundraising heavily until the end.
Polson has nearly $100,000 on hand, even after heavy television buys and engaging a full campaign staff. She’s ahead of Duggan, who has just $77,000 on hand.
Each campaign is getting help from its respective state party, and both sides feel confident enough to endlessly trash talk the other side’s operation.
Polson has structural advantages, such as the ability to self-finance and to network with regional and national players in the Democratic Party, that the other Democrats running for berths to Tallahassee do not.
Her district is also plurality Democrat, and the race is tight, according to polls.
