Jacob Ogles
State Rep. Margaret Good posted modest numbers for June fundraising, pulling in $4,775 in her first full month post-Legislative Session.
In total, the Sarasota Democrat raised about $45,483 thus far in her reelection bid.
“Over the past two months, I’ve met with homeowner associations, constituents, and representatives from our local government to ensure that we are all focused on cleaning up our water,” Good said.
“Fundraising has its time, but these last two months were about hearing from my constituents and being present and accessible to them.”
Meanwhile, the first Republican to file against her, Donna Barcomb, filed a scant $1,200 the same month. But Barcomb boasts $47,665 in total outside contributions.
Those totals were overshadowed by a headline-grabbing fundraising debut for Fiona McFarland, the newest entry to the race and region. The Navy reservist raised $42,150 in monetary contributions for June.
“The energy and excitement surrounding Fiona’s campaign is real,” said McFarland advisor Max Goodman.
“We’re talking about someone who till just recently was serving onboard a guided missile destroyer through the South China Sea. Her grit and tenacity to help people is contagious and is a big reason why Sarasota has been buzzing since she entered the race only a month ago.”
Now, all three candidates sit on war chests reaching for $50,000 halfway through 2019. The totals hint at Florida House District 72 becoming one of the hottest battlegrounds in the state next year.
The incumbent pulled in significant donations from one of the region’s top employers, FCCI. Both FCCI Insurance Group and FCCI Services dropped $1,000 checks in Good’s coffers.
So did Next Era Energy, Florida’s leading clean energy provider. Noted lobbying firm Becker & Poliakoff also wrote a $500 check, as did the Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law PAC.
As far as campaign contributions, Good still lags behind Barcomb. Few, however, brush aside Good’s dollar-gathering ability.
Notably, Good in 2018 proved to be a prolific fundraiser, raising more than $1 million in campaign contributions over the course of a special and general election.
“I’m not concerned about fundraising; we have a proven fundraising strategy and we are confident that we will have the resources to succeed,” Good said.
“I’m concerned about the issues affecting our community, in particular water quality, and that is what I’m focused on.”
Barcomb’s June numbers, meanwhile, perplex.
With Good taking much of the spring off of fundraising because of the Legislative Session, Barcomb caught up in fundraising through May. As of the end of last moth, she led in dollars raised when a $9,000 candidate loan was included.
But June proved her weakest fundraising period yet.
Barcomb in February became the first GOP candidate in the race, but her initially fundraising proved tepid.
She admits she spent too much time early on working messaging instead of raising money, and initially opponent Erik Arroyo was outraising her. But that changed in May when started raising dollars more aggressively, apparently forcing Arroyo out of the contest.
The fundraising momentum for the moment, however, seems to have shifted to political newcomer McFarland.
A former surface warfare officer with the Navy, McFarland’s entry into the race caught attention largely because of potential connections to a national fundraising network through mother K.T. McFarland.
That was largely reflected with her June report.
While she lags Good and Barcomb still in contributions directly to her campaign, that doesn’t count $10,000 to her political committee Friends of Sarasota.
McFarland also pulled a $20,000 candidate loan. Barcomb has a $9,000 loan lifting her totals. Good has not loaned her campaign anything to date.
Good last year enjoyed tremendous help from a dedicated political committee, New Day Florida. That committee this cycle has only raised about $$2,000 from Florida Blue in February.
In full, McFarland boasts access to the most immediate capital.
Her campaign has $59,608 in cash-on-hand, including the loan and minus expenses. Barcomb’s campaign comparatively has $53,173.
Good, whose campaign has already spent a significant amount on marketing and consulting, has $28,429 in available cash.
Meanwhile, Good’s New Day Florida committee still has about $15,086 in cash. That compares to the $9,866 in cash for McFarland’s Friends of Sarasota committee.
The district remains one of the swing-iest in Florida. While Good won a special election last February by 7 percent, flipping it from red to blue, she more narrowly fended off a Republican challenge in November by less than 2 percent.
The suburban Sarasota area district also represents coveted terrain for both the Democrats and Republicans heading into the presidential election.
