A.G. Gancarski
Sam Garrison, a Republican lawyer in Orange Park, appears to be on track to be the next state Representative in House District 18.
Garrison, the law partner of Senate budget chair Rob Bradley, will pursue the HD 18 nomination in 2020, with incumbent Travis Cummings (the House budget chair) pursuing Bradley’s seat.
Garrison’s fundraising efforts, if January’s haul of almost $70,000 from 100 donations is any indication, suggest that the barrister won the so-called “establishment primary” long before filing for office.
Lobbyists, such as the Mayernick Group and the Fiorentino Group, invested. So too did political committees of Bradley and Cummings, and a cross-section of the Clay County power structure.
Garrison thus far is alone in the race.
Though it remains to be seen if Cummings will face a significant electoral challenge in his next run for office, it’s worth noting that his political committee enjoyed a strong January as well.
First Coast Conservatives cleared $56,500 in the first month of 2019.
Florida Blue was the leading corporate contributor ($10,000), whereas the leading political committee donating (“People for Clean Water Solutions”; $12,500) ties back to a water treatment company in Lakeland.
The committee has raised over $1.5 million and has nearly $800,000 of that on hand.
