Kelly Hayes
After seeing her highest campaign fundraising period this cycle, incumbent Democrat Jennifer Webb now has a $163,175 lead over Republican challenger Linda Chaney in the race for House District 69.
Webb raised $30,779 this period, which spanned Sept. 5 through Sept. 18. Chaney brought in $2,000 in the same span, following a previous high in which Chaney brought in $30,770 — including a $25,000 contribution from the Florida Republican Party.
After this period, Webb has $193,912 cash on hand, while Chaney has $30,737 left in her coffers, despite the incumbent spending more than double Chaney.
Since the start of her campaign, Webb has had $52,503 worth of expenditures, including $6,858 this period. Chaney, on the other hand, has spent $19,099 in the race, only spending $1,034 in the most recent period.
Webb received a $5,000 boost from the Pinellas County Democratic Party and several $1,000 donations from organizations like Maher Chevrolet Inc., St. Pete Progress PAC, and the Florida Democratic Party. Most contributions came from individuals.
Chaney only had seven contributors this period, including a $1,000 donation from Rep. Randy Fine’s political action committee.
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. Peters held the district from 2012 to 2018. She stepped down to run for Pinellas County Commission, where she now serves. Webb unsuccessfully challenged Peters in 2016.
Recent polling shows Webb with a seven-point lead over her Republican challenger this year for HD 69. In a St. Pete Polls survey, Webb leads Chaney, with 48% of the vote compared to just 41% for Chaney.
The district, which covers the Southwest coast of Pinellas County, including Gulfport, west St. Pete, and the southern Gulf beaches, has a razor-thin edge for Republicans. Of the district’s 122,157 registered voters, 43,728 are Republicans, and 43,563 are Democrats. Another 33,141 have no party affiliation, and the remaining 1,725 are registered with a third party.
