Dane Eagle fundraiser this weekend at Mayor Kevin Ruane’s home

A fundraiser for Cape Coral Republican Dane Eagle will take place in Sanibel at the home of Mayor Kevin Ruane.

The event will boost resources for Eagle’s campaign to succeed Rep. Francis Rooney in Florida’s 19^th Congressional District.

Ruane, also a candidate for Lee County Commission, was part of Eagle’s first round of major endorsements.

The host committee for the upcoming fundraiser, scheduled for March 7, includes some other prominent leaders as well.

Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello appears on e-vites.

So does Lee County Commissioner Ray Sandelli, who owns the commercial real estate firm where Eagle works. Eagle had recommended Sandelli apply for an appointment to the county commission last year.

Sanibel City Councilman Jason Maughan, a candidate to succeed Rep. Ray Rodrigues in the state House, also serves on Eagle’s host committee.

So does Sanibel Vice Mayor Mick Denham and Councilwoman Holly Smith. The host committee for Eagle’s fundraiser includes 80% of the elected officials for the island city where it’s being held.

Eagle, currently the state House Republican leader, has raised the most in contributions to his campaign out of 11 candidates running in Florida’s 19^th Congressional District. He raked in $422,295 in contributions for his campaign in the last two months of 2019.

Notably, some of that came in large contributions, of which only the first $2,800 can be used in the primary, which right now includes eight Republicans. That means about $310,000 of the dollars he’s raised so far can be used fighting for the GOP nomination.

Meanwhile, there’s a couple prominent self-funders in the race, including Naples physician William Figlesthaler, who infused his campaign with a $410,000 candidate loan.

The GOP primary is expected to be the most expensive in Florida this year. Eagle is one of three state lawmakers running for the seat, along with Reps. Heather Fitzenhagen and Byron Donalds.

Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson is also running to the job. So is professional pundit Ford O’Connell, another self-funder, and former New York Mayor candidate Darren Dione Aquino. Former Minnesota lawmaker Dan Severson has also filed.

The Eagle fundraiser will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Ruane’s home.