Kelly Hayes
Incumbent Democrat Jennifer Webb continues to out raise her opponent, Republican Linda Chaney, as the two face off in the General Election for House District 69.
Webb is starting the General Election stretch with about $152,140 while Chaney goes in with about $2,740 — almost $150,000 less than Webb. Neither candidate faced a primary challenger.
In the week of the Primary Election, Webb raised $8,569. Contributors included Rep. Adam Hattersley, who lost the recent Primary Election in Florida’s 15th Congressional District to Democrat Alan Cohn. Hattersley gave $100 to Webb’s campaign. The Democratic Party of Pinellas gave $5,000 to Webb, a significant donation, showing how important it is for Democrats to keep this district.
Webb flipped the seat blue in 2018. She received 53% of the vote to Republican opponent Raymond Blacklidge’s 47% — a margin of about 4,200 voters — replacing Republican Kathleen Peters.
The district, which covers part of Pinellas County including Gulfport and the Gulf beaches, is split almost perfectly between party lines — of the 122,157 voters within HD 69, 43,728 are Republicans and 43,563 are Democrats. That means Republicans outnumber Democrats by less than 200 voters — a statistically insignificant margin. The district also has 1,725 third party voters and 33,141 voters with no party affiliation.
Peters held the district from 2012 to 2018. She stepped down to run for Pinellas County Commission. Webb unsuccessfully challenged Peters in 2016.
Chaney didn’t see any contributions this period, which spanned Aug. 14 through Aug. 21. So far, Chaney has raised $17,065, while Webb has raised $193,835.
Webb has spent the most between the two at $41,694, while Chaney hit just $14,326.
Chaney is currently a manager with AdventHealth Mobile Mammography. She boasts several key Republican endorsements, including Speaker Designate Chris Sprowls, Sen. Jeff Brandes and Reps. Nick NiCeglie, Chris Latvala and James Grant.
Chaney previously served on the St. Pete Beach City Commission where she advocated for preserving the beach, community control over development decisions and low taxes.
