Jason Pizzo, potential 2022 gubernatorial candidate, nets $500K donation

Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo landed some big bucks for his political committee, courting a $500,000 donation as he weighs a 2022 run for Governor.

That half-a-million-dollar check came from Tristar Products, a New Jersey-based marketing company behind various cooking aids, gardening tools and other products. That gives Pizzo more than $535,000 in available cash between his campaign and PC accounts as he prepares to defend his Senate District 38 seat in 2022.

Pizzo may have larger plans on his mind, however, as he has been rumored as a potential Democratic candidate for Governor. It’s still early in the process. But Democrats will be laser-focused on fielding a candidate who can turn around the party’s fortunes after a dismal 2020 cycle and potentially unseat incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But for now, Pizzo remains a candidate in SD 38. The district covers a piece of eastern Miami-Dade County that includes Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Golden Beach, Biscayne Park and Miami Shores. Pizzo is the only one who has filed in that contest so far.

Pizzo and other 2022 candidates faced a Wednesday deadline to report all financial activity through Jan. 31. The Senator’s PC, New Opportunity Florida, also gathered $10,000 from AFSCME in December. He has added nearly $44,000 through his campaign account as well, though some of that money is already out the door.

Pizzo is entering the final two-year stretch of his first Senate term after winning the seat from ex-Sen. Daphne Campbell. Pizzo, a former prosecutor, defeated the controversial Campbell in the 2018 Democratic primary, handing him his first Senate term.

Since then, he has focused on criminal justice issues, even securing a chairmanship of the Criminal Justice Committee in a GOP-controlled Senate. Pizzo also played an active role during the COVID-19 pandemic seeking help for out-of-work Floridians, including many outside his own district.

Pizzo has called for a public investigation into why the state’s unemployment site failed. He’s serving on the Select Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and Response during the 2021 Legislative Session.