Lenny Curry qualifies for re-election, opponents to be determined Friday

Raking it in: Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry added another $200K in his bid for re-election.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry had one of his slowest fundraising months ever to end 2018, with under $50,000 raised between his campaign account and that of his political committee.

For the first time in months, Curry is below $3 million cash on hand, though with ample resources to deploy between now and the March “first election.”

However, Curry was clearly undaunted: a picture sent to us Thursday afternoon appeared to show him qualifying for re-election ahead of potential opponents who plan Friday filings and events.

“I look forward to another for years of fighting for Jacksonville’s families. I’m proud to stand on my record of prioritizing the fight against violent crime, creating jobs and passing four unanimous balanced budgets without raising taxes,” Curry said.

Curry brought in $2,800 in December to his campaign account, which has seen just $5,200 of receipts since September ended. JTA CEO Nat Ford was the biggest name donor there.

Curry has just over $444,000 in hard money.

The Jacksonville on the Rise political committee brought in just $45,000, the most modest take since its inception, off four donations. Stellar Group led all contributors with a $20,000 check.

The committee spent over $345,000 in December, including $180,000 on an ad defining potential opponent Anna Brosche (expected to file Friday morning). All told, the committee has $2.336 million on hand.

Another potential opponent for Curry is expected to file for some office before the Friday noon deadline: Jacksonville City Councilman Garrett Dennis.

Neither Dennis nor Brosche have openly committed to a run for mayor yet.

Some have suggested that Dennis would serve as Brosche’s chief of staff should she win the election. Dennis says that’s “noise.”

Two write-in candidates, Brian Griffin and Johnny Sparks, have qualified for the ballot. Other candidates, including Mayor Curry, have yet to qualify.