Jacob Ogles
Bradenton Republican Jim Boyd raised upward of $24,000 in the first two weeks of his campaign. Now the former state Representative boasts more than a 14-to-1 edge on Democratic opponent Amanda Linton.
Boyd in mid-August filed for state Senate in District 21, where he hopes to succeed Senate President Bill Galvano. He’s since racked key endorsements from state Sens. Galvano, Wilton Simpson, Kathleen Passidomo, Travis Hutson and Joe Gruters.
An early round of money has now rolled in as well.
Boyd’s entry into the Senate race ended months of speculation. Early contributions show forces in Tallahassee welcome to veteran lawmaker onto the trail.
In the last two weeks of August, Boyd pulled in $24,250. That came largely from political committees based in Tallahassee. Indeed, 15 of the 26 donation sources were listed as PACs.
Among them, the conservative Florida Strong, Florida Taxpayers Defense and Floridians For Liberty And Prosperity committees, all chaired by William Jones, each gave $1,000. So did Gulf Coast Conservatives Fund, chaired by Gilchrist County Republican Committeeman Dave Biddle, and Working Together For Florida, which is run by Sarasota County School Board member Eric Robinson.
The support all speaks to the heavy institutional support for Boyd.
There’s also significant donations from regional leaders and businesses. Passidomo, who served with Boyd in the House, donated $1,000. Former Sarasota County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo wrote a maximum amount check as well.
Golf Boast Eagle Distributing also filed a $1,000 check to Boyd’s campaign.
Linton, meanwhile, has raised $1,723 since filing in July. That money comes from 48 different donations, mostly in small dollar amounts.
The largest check froms from Darlene Goodfellow, a Valrico insurance agent who donated $250. A number of prominent Manatee County Democrats including Sheryl Wilson and Liv Coleman contributed $100 donations to the Hillsborough educator.
As of the 2018 elections, Republicans made up 43 percent of registered voters in the district, while Democrats make up 30 percent.
State political candidates and committees face a Tuesday deadline for filing reports showing finance activity through Aug. 31.
