Drew Wilson
Gainesville Democrat Kayser Enneking has raised more than $600,000 for her bid to unseat Republican Rep. Chuck Clemons in House District 21, new campaign finance reports show.
During the Sept. 5-18 reporting period, Enneking added $50,000 to her campaign account and $24,500 to her political committee, Florida Knows Excellence. Clemons, meanwhile, pulled in $28,500 through his campaign account and $4,500 through his political committee, Florida Shines.
With the nearly $75,000 in new money, Enneking has raised $603,836 in all. She has about $347,000 on hand.
Her early September campaign report included more than 850 contributions, many of them for $1. Enneking showed a $15,000 contribution from the Florida Democratic Party as well as 10 $1,000 contributions from individual donors, the maximum allowable for state legislative candidates.
Political committee contributions included a $15,000 check from Florida For All and a $7,500 check from the Florida Education Advocacy Fund. Enneking, an anesthesiologist, also received $2,000 from U.S. Anesthesia Partners.
Clemons new reports make for $363,072 in total fundraising, putting him more than $240,000 behind his challenger. The deficit shrinks to $90,000 in the cash-on-hand comparison, with Clemons holding about $257,000 between his two accounts.
HD 21 is a top target for Florida Democrats in the 2020 cycle.
The seat has been in Republican control since it was redrawn. Now-Sen. Keith Perry held the seat through 2016, when Clemons cruised into office by 7 points.
The margin narrowed to 3 points in the 2018 cycle, when Clemons faced Democrat Jason Haeseler. 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, including much of Gainesville.
