Jacob Ogles
Republican state House candidate Ned Hancock through July raised more in contributions than primary opponent Kalyee Tuck—but just barely.
And with a personal contribution in the bank, Tuck still holds a cash advantage.
Meanwhile, both candidates say they good about the money raised this far—more than $50,000 each—in the race to succeed state Rep. Cary Pigman.
Hancock, a citrus farmer who joined the race in June, pulled in $30,950 in July, bringing his total contributions to $51,525.
That’s just more than the $50,200 raised by Tuck, a Sebring land-use attorney who jumped into the race the same month as Hancock. She raised $6,825 of her contributions in the month of July.
Tuck also has a $5,000 candidate loan boosting her campaign accounts.
Both candidates feel good about the support seen thus far. And she held a strong edge in fundraising after both candidates filed their first financial reports.
“I’m honored to have the support of so many friends and neighbors in the district, but there’s a long way to go before we get to the Primary Election in 2020,” Hancock said.
“We’ve got a plan to earn the support of the voters in Highlands, Okeechobee, Glades and St. Lucie Counties, and we’re looking forward to working hard to ensure success on election night.”
Some of his money comes from agriculture businesses connected to him personally, like Hancock Citrus, Gose Growers and Hancock Groves Partnership. He also pulled in $1,000 from Strayhorn Management in Fort Myers.
Clewiston-based Hilliard Brothers, as well as the Marlin W. Hillard Family Trust and Joe Marlin Hillard, also made maximum donations.
Kaylee picked up $1,000 from the Tampa-based political organization Creating Possibilities. But most of her July donations came from smaller donors, including Sarasota School Board chair Jane Goodwin ($250) and Newberry farmer Lee Albritton ($500).
“I am very proud that in less than 2 month we have raised over $55,000,” Tuck said.
“We will have the resources we need to get our conservative message out to the Republican voters of the heartland.”
Tuck has also spent a little more on getting her message out. Through July, her campaign spent $2,955, while Hancock has spend just $497.
Democrat Tony Munnings has still not raised any money in the race so far.
