Ryan Nicol
Republican candidate Rick Kozell added another $57,000 in the month of January, giving him more than $252,000 raised in his bid for House District 82.
Kozell entered the contest in November, meaning he has amassed that haul in just three months as a candidate. So far, he has raised more than $128,000 through his campaign and another $124,000 via his political committee, Rick Kozell for Florida.
Kozell is one of four candidates seeking to succeed term-limited GOP Rep. MaryLynn Magar. He’s a former congressional candidate, having sought the seat in Florida’s 18th Congressional District in 2016.
Now-U.S. Rep. Brian Mast emerged from that six-person field before securing the seat in the general election.
Also competing against Kozell for the Republican nomination in HD 82 are former Rep. Carl Domino and retired U.S. Marine John Snyder.
Domino has declared $0 in outside contributions since joining the race last May. But he has pumped in $100,000 in loans to his campaign. Barely any of that money has been spent, however.
Snyder, meanwhile, has added just over $57,000 in outside donations, along with another couple hundred bucks in loans. Those numbers are current through December, as Snyder’s January numbers have not yet been posted by the Division of Elections.
Snyder maintains just over $51,000 in cash on hand.
Both GOP candidates trail Kozell in that category. His campaign retains nearly $118,000 going forward, while his political committee is sitting on another $121,000. That leaves Kozell with nearly $240,000 in his HD 82 war chest.
Jeremy Kelly of Jupiter is the only Democrat declared in the race so far. He has added just $260 since filing for the contest in October.
This appears a safe Republican seat, however. Magar earned 62% of the vote in 2018, leading to an easy win. She was backed by a similar percentage of voters in 2016, defeating her Democratic opponent 63% to 37%.
HD 82 covers part of Palm Beach and Martin counties, including Jupiter, Indiantown and Hobe Sound.
