Kelly Hayes
Rep. Ben Diamond is hosting a virtual campaign kickoff Thursday at 6 p.m. as he works to hold onto Florida House District 68.
Although Diamond is unopposed in the Democratic primary, he faces Republican candidate Matt Tito in the general election Nov. 3.
So far, Diamond has dominated in fundraising, raking in $10,150 in the most recent fundraising period, which covered financial activity from July 11 through July 17. Diamond has raised a total of $232,533.
Tito didn’t report any contributions in the most recent period, making it his smallest fundraising session to date. So far, the Republican challenger has raised just $12,103 since the start of his campaign in June. This puts Tito’s campaign in a poor position as the critical stretch for the general election approaches.
Diamond has spent $58,035 on his campaign so far. Tito has only spent $4,532 since the start of his campaign, leaving him with about $7,570 cash on hand as the two enter August. Diamond leads with about $174,530 on hand.
Diamond spent less this most recent period compared to previous months. This period, Diamond spent $647, primarily on legal fees for Meyer, Brooks, Blohm and Hearn, P.A., which specializes in providing legal advice and assistance to candidates running for state and federal office.
Tito also paid for legal services this period, spending $296 on Coates Law Firm, his only expenditure this period.
HD 68 covers parts of eastern Pinellas County, including parts of St. Petersburg.
