Jacob Ogles
Citrus grower Ned Hancock continues to hold a funding edge in the race to succeed outgoing state Rep. Cary Pigman.
Meanwhile, attorney Kaylee Tuck continues to boost her own coffers, while another Republican withdrew from the Florida House District 55 race before posting his first report.
Hancock continues to see hefty support come in from agriculture players in the region. He posted $19,100 in new contributions in November, bringing his total to $174,536.
That includes $1,000 checks from the Ninfa C. Davis Family farm in Wauchula, rancher Ramon Corona from Coral Gables and agriculture professional Ronda Perry in Moore Haven. North Carolina-based agrochemical company Syngenta also made a maximum donation. And Capital City Consulting also chipped in $1,000.
Tuck, meanwhile, raised $4,512 in November, bring total contributions to $71,192. She also chipped in a $5,000 candidate loan early in her campaign.
She saw support from real estate and development, including $1,000 checks from Carlos Beruff’s Medallion Home and Charlie Michaels, Inc. Florida East Coast Industries also sent $1,000 to Tuck’s campaign.
Tuck started the race with a substantial first month haul, but Hancock after a slow start has consistently outraised the attorney. Still, both candidates running in the expansive four-county rural district have resources heading into 2020.
Sebring Republican Nathan Nichols briefly opened an account in November to run for the seat, but withdrew his candidacy quickly.
Democrat Tony Munnings, Sr. for the seventh consecutive month waived filing any type of financial report for the race.
The district remains friendly ground for Republicans. In 2018, Pigman won 66 percent of the vote against Democrat Audrey Asciutto.
