Janelle Irwin Taylor
Two candidates for Pinellas County constitutional offices, both Republicans, are hosting a joint fundraiser for their election campaigns.
Tax Collector Charles Thomas faces a primary challenger and, if successful in August, a Democratic challenger and write-in candidate in the general.
Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus didn’t draw a primary challenge, but faces Democrat Dan Helm in November.
The joint fundraiser will be Tuesday, June 30 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bascom’s Chop House located at 3665 Ulmerton Rd. in Clearwater.
A flyer promoting the event notes it was jointly paid for the Thomas and Marcus campaigns. Maximum contributions are $1,000.
Thomas faces Joyell Bobala in the Republican primary. Thomas is off to a head start in terms of campaign cash, raising more than $61,000 compared to Bobala’s just over $13,000.
Democrat Joseph Saportas is also running, as is write-in candidate Dan Dahlberg. Neither have posted any fundraising activity.
Meanwhile, Marcus will face Democrat Dan Helm in November, avoiding a primary contest. Helm holds the fundraising edge so far with more than $51,000 in contributions compared to Marcus’ $37,000, though momentum is on her side considering she only just recently entered the race.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Marcus to the Supervisor’s post last month to replace former Supervisor Deborah Clark, who retired at the end of March. Clark, also a Republican, has already endorsed Marcus, her former chief deputy, as her successor.
The fundraiser represents a shift back to some level of normalcy in the realm of politicking. Up until very recently, candidates had largely shut down any public facing fundraising events, mindful of social distancing measures in place to stem the spread of COVID-19 and cautious not to undermine a nervous electorate with political campaigning.
