Joe Harding raises another $13K for HD 22 bid

Joe Harding's abrupt exit means the House is scrambling to fill his committee assignments.

Republican Joe Harding raised another $13,300 for his campaign to succeed Republican Rep. Charlie Stone in House District 22.

Harding collected the new money across 19 checks, including 11 for $1,000 — the maximum allowable contribution for state legislative campaigns.

Notable names on the donor sheet include Duke Energy, NextEra Energy, the Florida Professional Firefighters and Jobs for Florida, a political committee tied to incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson.

To date, Harding has collected about $186,000 from donors and chipped in about $21,000 through candidate loans.

His campaign has also spent $178,000, though nearly all of the outflow took place ahead of the Republican primary, which saw him defeat Russ Randall in a 70-30 rout.

As of Oct. 2, Harding had about $29,000 left to spend.

The Williston Republican is in a head-to-head race with Morriston Democrat Barbara Byram, who pulled in $685 during the Sept. 19 – Oct. 2 reporting period.

The haul brings her total fundraising just past the $9,000 mark. She has $5,500 left to spend.

HD 22 covers all of Levy County as well as southwest Marion County, including parts of Ocala and Dunnellon.

It has been represented by Stone since redistricting and it’s expected to remain in Republican control after the November election — of the 120,000 voters in the district about 53,000 are registered Republicans and 40,000 are registered Democrats.

Stone, who is term-limited, cruised into a fourth term with nearly two-thirds of the vote two years ago.