Drew Wilson
Republican Rep. Chuck Clemons chipped away at Democrat Kayser Enneking’s fundraising lead in early July, but he still trails by a substantial margin.
During the June 26 – July 10 reporting period, Clemons added $24,000 to his campaign account and spent just $3,600.
Donors included the Florida Chamber of Commerce PAC and several committees tied to the Associated Industries of Florida — the Voice of Florida Business, Floridians for a Stronger Democracy, Florida Prosperity Fund and Floridian’s United for Our Children’s Future.
Each sent the Clemons campaign $1,000, the maximum allowable contribution for state legislative races.
To date, Clemons has raised just over $198,000 for his reelection bid and has $132,000 in his campaign account.
The incumbent also has a political committee, Florida Shines, with $71,000 banked. He has $203,000 on hand between the two accounts.
Enneking, meanwhile, raised $15,603 and spent $12,443 during the two-week reporting period. Her report showed more than 200 mostly small-dollar donors, though seven $1,000 checks topped the report.
Max donors included government employee union AFSCME and Flippable – Florida Victory Fund, a political committee aimed at flipping state legislative districts.
In all, Enneking has raised about $245,000, including $10,000 in loans. She had nearly $143,000 in her campaign account on July 10. Enneking also has about $132,000 on hand in her political committee, Florida Knows Excellence, for a total of $275,000 banked between the two accounts.
The totals as of July 10 give Enneking a $73,000 advantage over Clemons, who has held the North Central Florida seat since 2016.
HD 21 is a top target for Florida Democrats in the 2020 cycle. Clemons cruised into office by 7 points in 2016, though in 2018 the margin narrowed to 3 points. The same cycle saw the seat go for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum at the top of the ticket.
HD 21 covers all of Dixie and Gilchrist counties as well as part of western Alachua County.
