Chris Latvala maintains big fundraising lead in General Election race for HD 67

Incumbent Republican Chris Latvala will be entering the General Election race for House District 67 with $94,000 more than Democratic challenger Dawn Douglas.

Latvala has $96,126 cash on hand, while Douglas has little more than $2,000 following her primary win.

Even though the incumbent did not face a primary challenger, Latvala has still spent about $44,500 so far preparing for the General Election. Douglas has spent $1,784 since she began her campaign.

Douglas’ numbers do not come close to Latvala’s. Since the start of his campaign, the Republican candidate has raised $140,625, while Douglas earned $1,325 in contributions. Douglas has also taken out $2,500 in loans.

In the week of the Primary Election, neither candidate saw big numbers. Latvala only saw one donation — $1,000 from PAC Heartland Prosperity, while Douglas racked in just $100 from two individuals, despite her victory.

The two have gone head-to-head once before in 2018, in which Latvala won the seat. Latvala attained 53.97% of votes, while Douglas earned 46.03% — a margin of about 4,900 voters. 

The District is an even split between parties, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by just a couple hundred voters. Of the 106,618 voters in District 67, 36,432 are Republicans and 36,792 are Democrats. Of the remaining voters, 1,390 are registered with a third party, and 32,004 have no party affiliation.

HD 67 covers parts of mid- and north-Pinellas County, including Largo.

On Sunday, Latvala announced he recently tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently hospitalized at Largo Medical Center, but expects to make a full recovery.

“Thank you to all the heroes on the front lines of this pandemic. I want to especially thank the heroes of Largo (Medical) Center. I am in awe not only how they treat me but all the other patients. My stay here should be a short one. I will be fine. Thank you for your prayers,” he wrote.

Latvala said his symptoms vary and cautioned constituents to continue taking precautions to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.