Nuts shell out for Greg Steube as he raises nearly $134K in second quarter of 2021

Rep. Greg Steube.

Rep. Greg Steube pulled in more than $130,000 on his road to reelection to a third term in the U.S. House. And a look at his records show the Sarasota Republican to be a favorite among all kinds of nuts.

The U.S. Peanut PAC shelled out $2,500 to the Congressman’s campaign. The National Peanut Buying Points Association and the National Pecan Federation’s PAC also each donated $1,000 to Steube’s campaign.

All told, the Sarasota Republican in the second quarter of 2021 reported $133,536 in contributions to his campaign.

During his time in the House, Steube has been a vocal advocate for agriculture interests, which likely drew the interest of the nut industry and other growers.

Lykes Bros., a Glades County-based citrus business, directed $2,000 to Steube through its PAC, and Mosaic’s PAC chipped in $1,000. So did the National Grocers’ Association’s Grocers PAC.

With 2021 half through, the incumbent has $437,266 in cash on hand. That should be plenty considering, for now, he faces only token Democratic opposition.

Democrat Dan Lambert, who opened a campaign account in February and says on his Facebook page he decided to run after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has not reported any fundraising activity to date. Allen Ellison, Steube’s Democratic challenger the last two election cycles, is running for Senate.

Steube, who first won the seat in Florida’s 17^th Congressional District in 2018, raised the bulk of his money this quarter from individual donors, $97,786. Another $35,750 comes from PACs.

He also spent $81,074 during the quarter.

The incumbent represents a heavily Republican district and won his last two contests with greater than 62% of the vote.

The Florida Legislature next year will draw new lines ahead of the election, but a Florida Heartland-based district will likely remain a GOP stronghold.

Other notable contributions to Steube’s coffers include $2,900 from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who hosted a fundraiser in Sarasota during the quarter, also donated $1,000 to Steube’s campaign. The House Conservatives Fund gave the congressman $3,000.