Kelly Hayes
Republican Jay Collins reported raising $401,260 in the first quarter of 2022 as he runs for Florida’s 14th Congressional District, narrowing the fundraising lead still held by Democratic incumbent Rep. Kathy Castor.
Castor raised $324,003 in the same timeframe, which spanned from Jan. 1 through March 31. Despite a slightly smaller quarterly haul, Castor has amassed $852,908 in her re-election campaign, keeping her on top compared to Collins’ $769,447 raised so far. A third candidate, Republican James Judge, reported raising $22,298 in Q1, bringing his total to $123,222.
Collins reported $377,259 from individual donors, according to his FEC filing, while Castor reported $216,013 from individuals in Q1.
Castor will start the next quarter with the most cash on hand, with $896,688 in available spending money. Collins will continue with $338,753 cash on hand and Judge with $48,275.
Two additional candidates, Democrat Chris Bradley and Republican Chris Chambers, each reported raising less than $10,000 in Q1. Bradley has amassed $27,445 so far and Chambers has collected a total of $9,071.
The Democratic incumbent may be in for a smooth re-election bid, as the state Legislature looks to approve congressional maps proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that alter the Tampa Bay district in a way that favors Democrats.
The eight-term incumbent and former Hillsborough County Commissioner actually fares better under this map than one originally approved by the Legislature (H 8019). In that plan, she landed in a seat where 54.46% of voters went to Biden and 43.99% voted for Trump. The new seat insulates her even further from a challenge from any of several Republicans filed against her.
The price for that, however, comes at a potential loss for Democrats in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist. The proposed map makes that seat more likely to go to a Republican challenger. Overall, the proposal is one that would alter the makeup of Tampa Bay and likely leave it with one Democratic Representative instead of two.
