Janelle Irwin Taylor
Former Tampa Bay area newsman Alan Cohn raised nearly $73,000 in just three weeks, he announced Monday.
Campaign finance reports are due to the Federal Election Commission Tuesday. Cohn entered the race September 9. Third quarter campaign finance reports cover July through the end of September.
Cohn said 78 percent of his contributions came from donors who live in the district he’s seeking, Congressional District 15, or from throughout the state. Cohn pledged not to take money from Political Action Committees for large corporations.
“This is testament to the strength of our message that we are the best candidate to go up against the ethically and scandal plagued Ross Spano and be the champion of middle-class families in the 15th Congressional District,” Cohn said.
Cohn claims his strong financial start includes support from respected community and political leaders. He also announced a major endorsement from former Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy.
“I can tell you from firsthand experience Congress needs someone dedicated to taking on those who break the rules and put their own interests ahead or the people they serve. Alan Cohn has an unrivaled record of uncovering public corruption and speaking truth to power. I’ve also come to know Alan as incredibly committed to the fight to make our economy work for all hard-working families, and steadfast in the effort to make our state and nation better, fairer, and safer,” Murphy said.
Other support includes labor unions.
“When I first met Alan in 2014, I was impressed with his openness and honesty in his agenda in representing working America. It’s obvious that he has listened to his constituents and is committed to go to Washington, DC as their voice,” said Ken Wood, former President of Teamsters Local 79 in Tampa.
Wood is chairing Cohn’s campaign committee. Other members include former Democratic Congressional Committee Executive Director Dan Sena and Political Director Jason Bresler.
Sena left the DCCC earlier this year to start his own consulting firm after leading the group to flip 40 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. Bresler is now a consultant for the Strategy Group.
Cohn is running in the Democratic primary for Congressional District 15 race against Florida Rep. Adam Hattersley. Hattersley has not yet announced his first round of earnings since entering the race this summer about three weeks before Cohn.
The winner of the primary will take on Spano. The DCCC is not backing a primary candidate yet, but the group is heavily targeting Spano to flip his seat blue. Spano is an embattled incumbent facing massive criticism over illegal campaign contributions stemming from a personal loan he used to dump money into his 2018 campaign against Kristen Carlson who went on to lose the race by six points. Carlson is backing Hattersley in the 2020 election.
Congressional District 15 includes parts of east Hillsborough County.
