Kelly Hayes
Pinellas County Commission candidate Brian Scott collected $25,825 in May, his campaign announced Tuesday.
His May haul comes from $15,825 raised by his campaign account and an additional $10,000 donated to his affiliated political committee, Friends of Brian Scott. That brings his total raised since he launched his campaign to $181,690.
“It is great to watch support for our campaign continue to grow so close to Election Day,” Scott said in a statement. “We remain committed to activating our grassroots supporters and reaching out to as many Pinellas voters as possible. Our local families and businesses want a conservative they can count on to represent them on the county commission.”
Scott’s campaign provided the latest fundraising numbers. More information including donors and spending will be available when finance reports are released by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Election’s Office later this week.
Scott is running in hopes of taking the seat from Democratic incumbent Pat Gerard. It’s unclear who came out ahead in May fundraising, as Gerard has not yet submitted her May numbers. The two have had a narrow back-and-forth in the fundraising game throughout the race.
Scott previously surpassed Gerard in fundraising in December. But Gerard has held strong in her lead since January.
In April, Gerard reached $180,690 raised between her campaign account and affiliated political committee, bringing Scott up to Gerard’s previous month’s numbers.
A third candidate, Republican Debbie Buschman, the Lunch Pal coordinator for Pinellas County Schools, is also in the running to flip the seat red. As of May, she has so far collected $18,000.
District 2 is an at large seat covering northwest Pinellas County, but it is voted on countywide.
For years, the GOP has been looking to retake the district. Gerard flipped the seat blue in 2014, replacing former Commissioner Norm Roche. Roche lost the Republican Primary that year to now-Sen. Ed Hooper, who lost to Gerard in the General Election.
The race will appear on the 2022 ballot. If no Democrat files to challenge Gerard, she will face the winner of the GOP Primary in November.
