Drew Wilson
Amy Pope Wells finished the second quarter with more than $150,000 in the bank as the packed Republican primary for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District approaches.
Wells raised more than $160,000 in the final 10 days of the April through June reporting period. The flurry of contributions is nearly triple the $57,000 Wells had raised through March 31.
“I am excited that my pro-Trump, Conservative message is resonating with voters and donors. We have built a formidable grassroots campaign that will have the resources to win,” Wells said in a news release. “I look forward to continuing our strong fundraising, spreading our Conservative message and finishing strong next month.”
Wells’ campaign credits conservative spending for the six-figure war chest five weeks out from the primary election.
Wells’ full finance report was not viewable on the Federal Elections Commission website as of Tuesday afternoon. However, Wells had about $10,000 in the bank at the end of the first quarter, indicating her campaign balance netted up by about $140,000 in Q2.
Her second-quarter haul is substantially more competitive than her past fundraising reports.
At the end of the first quarter, a half dozen candidates in the 10-person field had crossed the six-figure mark — and many of them entered the race after current U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho officially announced he would not seek reelection.
Wells, who lives in Clay County, does have roots within the North Central Florida district and is no stranger to GOP politics.
A small-business owner and former Chair of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, she was tapped by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in 2017 to serve on a committee that supports the United States-Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.
Also in 2017, then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed her to the Clay County Development Authority. She later served as co-Chair of the Women’s Coalition in support of then-gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis.
Among her backers are Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels, Jacksonville City Council President Aaron Bowman and Jacksonville City Councilwoman Randy DeFoor.
Wells faces Kat Cammack, Ryan Chamberlin, Todd Chase, Bill Engelbrecht, Joe Dallas Millado, Gavin Rollins, James St. George, Judson Sapp, David Theus on the primary ballot.
As of Tuesday, none of the other candidates had previewed their second-quarter fundraising numbers.
Sapp and St. George were out front at the end of the first quarter, though each has pumped their campaign account with six figures in candidate loans. Cammack was No. 3 with about $166,000 in the bank.
CD 3 covers Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Putnam and Union counties as well as part of Marion. It is a safe Republican seat.
