Drew Wilson
First Circuit State Attorney candidate Ginger Bowden Madden cracked the six-figure mark in her inaugural campaign finance report.
“I couldn’t be happier with this amazing start,” Bowden Madden said. “Our message is resonating with the people of the four counties in the first judicial circuit, and they support our campaign mission to keep the Panhandle as the safest community in Florida.”
Bowden Madden, the daughter of legendary FSU football coach Bobby Bowden. She is one of two Republicans looking to succeed current State Attorney Bill Eddins, who is retiring after 15 years on the job.
The campaign raised $107,740 across 175 contributions, 78 of which were for $1,000, the maximum allowable donations for State Attorney races.
The ledger included a torrent of cash from lawyers and law firms. Among the donors were Anchors Smith & Grimsley, Cotton & Gates, Dowd Law Firm, Fleet & Smith Law, Mead Law Firm, Powell Injury Law and Stewart Law Firm.
Unique to Bowden’s finance report is the inclusion of two retired football coaches: a max check from Bobby, and a $500 check from her brother, former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden.
Despite the household name, the report kept it local. Over 90 percent of her contributions came from within Florida’s First Judicial Circuit, which Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.
Spending measured in at less than $150, leaving the campaign with about $107,600 in the bank heading into March.
Madden Bowden announced her candidacy early last month. Her legal career includes 25 years as an assistant state attorney, which saw her prosecute cases in every division of criminal court — circuit, county, and juvenile.
She faces Gregory Marcille in the Republican primary. Marcille hasn’t reported his February haul, though his January report showed $8,500 in outside money bolstered by an $85,000 candidate loan. He has all of that banked.
