Kelly Hayes
Congressional candidate Eric Lynn raised more than $368,000 in the second quarter finance period, his first finance report since launching his campaign for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in mid-May.
This fundraising period gives Lynn north of $500,000 cash on hand — a good starting point for what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races this upcoming election season.
Lynn’s campaign provided the latest finance update. More information on expenditures and donors will be available when he releases his required campaign finance disclosure to the Federal Elections Commission.
“I am honored that so many people have stepped up to support my campaign for Congress. This is not going to be an easy race, but I am confident that we have the momentum and resources to win in 2022,” Lynn said in a statement. “I am so humbled by the wide range of support from our community and from across the State of Florida. The people of Pinellas deserve an experienced leader who knows how to work with both parties to get things done in Washington D.C., and that’s exactly what I’ll do as the next representative from Florida’s 13th District.”
Lynn, who previously worked as a national security adviser in former President Barack Obama’s administration, was the first Democrat to enter the race. He faces state Reps. Ben Diamond and Michele Rayner-Goolsby in the Democratic Primary. Diamond has raised more than $250,000 for his congressional bid in four weeks, his campaign announced at the start of June.
Rayner-Goolsby has yet to release financial information since she launched her campaign in mid-June.
On the other side of the aisle is GOP-candidate Anna Paulina Luna, who ran unsuccessfully against Crist last year but performed better than some expected against a well-funded incumbent. She faces William Braddock so far in the Republican Primary, although it is unclear if Braddock will continue in the race after recordings leaked of him allegedly threatening to kill Luna.
Luna filed an injunction against Braddock, and is set to have a hearing on July 9, with the temporary restraining order against Braddock in effect.
As one of the most competitive districts in the state, according to the Cook Political Report, CD 13 will likely draw high fundraising numbers among credible opponents. In last year’s campaigns, Luna and Crist had hauls exceeding $1 million.
Heading into last year’s presidential election, Republicans, through a massive voter registration effort that will continue into the 2022 midterms, chipped away at the Democratic advantage in the Pinellas County district from 5.2 percentage points to just 4.6.
And with redistricting on the horizon, Republicans leading the process could narrow that even more by shifting district boundaries northward, though they may be reluctant to get too creative with redistricting after the Florida Supreme Court foiled their last attempts to draw a map favorable to the GOP.
