Drew Dixon
Shane Abbott received another financial boost in his bid to win the Panhandle’s House District 5 seat.
The DeFuniak Springs Republican garnered another $28,525 in April in his campaign for the HD 5 seat covering all of Holmes, Jackson, Walton and Washington counties. Abbott is running against fellow Republicans Vance Coley of Marianna and Joel Clinton Pate of Graceville for the seat vacated by current Rep. Brad Drake, who is also a member of the GOP.
Drake will reach term limits in 2022 when the position is up for election.
The district leans heavily Republican.
Abbott now has a total of $92,745 in financial contributions since he announced his candidacy in February. In April, he received more than three dozen contributions, according to Florida elections records.
Some of his more notable contributions include medical interests. There was $1,000 in support from the American Pharmacy Cooperative based in Alabama and from the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association based in Miami.
Abbott himself is a pharmacist and opened his own pharmaceutical business in North Florida. He’s also vice president of the advocacy group Small Business Pharmacies Aligned for Reform in Florida.
The St. Joe Company real estate and development firm based in Santa Rosa Beach also contributed to Abbott’s campaign. Another $1,000 came from Gulf Coast Site Prep Inc., in DeFuniak Springs. The majority of April’s financial support for Abbott came from individuals.
Abbott is far outpacing his competitors in terms of financial contributions.
“Our campaign has strong momentum, and I’m honored by the broad support we continue to receive,” Abbott said. “To know that so many friends and neighbors believe in our conservative message and share in our vision for the future of our community and our state is truly humbling and what fuels our campaign. We’re going to keep working hard.”
Coley, who launched his campaign nearly a year ago, has raised about $21,100 in total contributions, with only $3,500 coming in April.
Meanwhile, Pate has garnered only $13,295 after entering the race in February. He raised just $2,890 last month.
No Democrat has announced candidacy for the seat thus far.
