Jenna Persons outspending the field in HD 78

Jenna Persons, Roger Lolly

Fort Myers Republican Jenna Persons spent more on her House District 78 campaign in May than her opponents collectively received.

Philanthropist Roger Lolly still has more cash in the bank from a significant infusion through a candidate loan.

Persons reported another $3,870 in donations in May, the bulk of that coming through a $1,000 check from consultant Derek Whitis and another from his wife Courtney, as well as $1,000 from retiree Richard Neslund.

A prolific fundraiser from the beginning, Persons enjoyed the strongest month of all candidates in the race, albeit all totals were modest as a pandemic continued.

The recent donations brought Persons’ total contributions to $213,345.

But Lolly remains a significant competitor. He collected just $1,050 in May, chiefly a $1,000 check from Sanibel hospitality professional Douglas Towle.

That brings his total donations to $ 47,475. That’s just part of the story though. Lolly’s coffers remain enriched thanks to a $115,000 loan he reported in January. In total, he’s put $140,000 of his own money into the campaign.

He’s not yet started to spend that money. At the start of June, he had $144,305 in cash on hand. By comparison, Persons has $132,258.

Persons has spent $81,087 already, including $36,731 in May alone. More than $33,000 of that went to Jupiter-based Public Concepts for direct mail.

To date, Lolly has spent $43,170, including $16,631 last month. Nearly all of that went to various campaign services through Strategic Image Management in Tampa.

The third Republican in the race, Charlie Lynch, reported just $10 raised in May, and $2,955 total since filing in December.

Waiting in the wings is Democrat Shawn Williams, who raised $528 in May and $7,002 in total.

While Persons and Lolly remain the leaders in the resource race, all of the candidates have qualified for the ballot.