Jacob Ogles
Longtime Republican consultant Tony Cortese just started his own fundraising firm, and Cameron Ulrich will be part of the team.
Cortese’s new firm, Capital Resources, will continue working with Republican candidates and leaders in Florida politics.
Coming off a record funding haul for the Republican Party of Florida’s House Majority, Cortese brings plenty of political capital to his new operation. Ultimately, the state party arm dedicated to winning House seats this year defended every Republican-held seat and flipped five seats red.
“Tony Cortese and Cameron Urlich helped lead House Majority fundraising efforts to all time heights,” said Florida Speaker Chris Sprowls. “They shattered records because they are a team that knows how to do the work that yields results. We are grateful for their efforts and excited for this next chapter in their careers.”
Cortese’s new firm will continue to work with Sprowls and formed with the Speaker’s blessing. Cortese has worked with Republican leadership in the House and Senate for years, just last year participating in a spring meeting in North Carolina for the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee. He has conducted party fundraisers around the nation for the state party.
“Over the last 15 years, I have worked closely with legislative leadership to accomplish their political and policy goals,” Cortese said. “This election cycle, under Speaker Sprowls‘ leadership, we were able to raise record amounts and pick up 5 seats for our House caucus. I’m a competitor, so I am excited to take the things we’ve learned and use them to advise elected officials and help candidates win.”
Ulrich has also long served in a fundraising capacity for Florida Republicans.
The GOP has weathered challenges in the time Cortese and Ulrich have been part of fundraising and still come out ahead. This year, Republicans in Florida overperformed expectations to pick up seats in both chambers of the Legislature, along the way securing Florida’s electoral votes for Donald Trump.
“After 13 years of non-profit and Republican caucus fundraising, I look forward to the opportunity to help individual candidates raise the resources necessary to further their aspirations of public service,” Ulrich said.
It has put the House political team in particularly high demand, as many political observers and an abundance of polling suggested the Republicans might lose House seats this cycle. Instead, House Majority went on offense and was able to unseat three Democratic incumbents, expand leads in two districts won by recount margins in 2018, and to win two open seats previously held by Democrats.
