Daniel Uhlfelder leads fundraising field in AG Democratic Primary

Daniel Uhlfelder has the fundraising lead.

Daniel Uhlfelder continues to lead in fundraising among Democratic Attorney General candidates. The winner of the Democratic Primary will run against Republican incumbent Ashley Moody in the November General Election.

Uhlfelder collected $34,245 in May between his campaign account and affiliated political committee, Hold Tallahassee Accountable. Since he entered the race in March, Uhlfelder has raised $155,902 between his two funding sources.

Uhlfelder’s campaign raised $31,104 from 600 donors in May, primarily consisting of individual donations under $250. He reported one $3,000 donation, from entrepreneur Lauren Santo Domingo, and three $1,000 donations.

His political committee collected $3,141 from 33 contributors, including a $2,500 donation from attorney Robert Kerrigan.

“I am so grateful for the outpouring of support for our campaign from Democrats across Florida,” Uhlfelder said in a statement provided by his campaign. “For the third straight month, our grassroots campaign is leading the primary field—with twice the money and eight times the contributions. Powered in large part by $5, $10, and $20 contributions, we are proving that you can be unbought and win. My campaign is accountable to everyday Floridians, just like my office will be. It’s time we return the Office of Attorney General to the hands of Florida families.”

As for spending, Uhlfelder’s campaign dished out $49,242 in May, including over $20,000 on social media and digital advertising, another $10,000 on consulting services and $7,000 on outreach. His political committee reported $8,289 in May expenditures, with $5,000 going to digital consulting and the remainder on accounting services.

Democratic opponent Aramis Ayala was the next highest fundraiser in May, collecting $19,570 during the month. She reported 90 contributors during the month, including four $3,000 donations and and three $1,000 donations.

Ayala’s campaign spent $22,194 in March, with about $15,000 going to consulting services and another $4,500 for digital fundraising.

Ayala has raised $74,362 since launching her campaign in March.

A third Democratic candidate, Jim Lewis, did not report a financial disclosure for May. He has collected a total of $5,750 since he started campaigning, and has provided $15,000 in self-funding.

While Uhlfelder’s funds may stack up against his Democratic opponents, he’ll have to make significant strides to catch up against incumbent Moody if he wants to flip the seat in November.

Moody last month raised nearly $468,000 between her campaign account and her political committee, Friends of Ashley Moody. She has over $1.1 million in her campaign account, and the political committee has nearly $4.5 million on hand.

But, its worth noting, while Uhlfelder’s campaign reported over 600 donors in May, Moody reported only 159, giving Uhlfelder a grassroots edge.

Moody won a competitive Primary four years ago, and spent much of the immediate aftermath of that contest retooling against that year’s Democratic nominee, Tampa lawyer Sean Shaw.