Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan pulled in another $900,000 for his own re-election campaign in the second quarter of 2022. That means the Longboat Key Republican has tallied $3.7 million, far outpacing competitors.
Buchanan closed June with about $2 million in cash on hand.
The funding flows as Buchanan is poised to Chair the House Ways & Means Committee if the GOP retakes a majority. To that end, Buchanan has also raised more than $2 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Those are dollars that will be used in battleground districts across the country as Republicans aim to close a 10-seat difference with Democrats.
In total, the eight-term incumbent pulled in $5.7 million to date in the cycle for himself and for the national party.
“We’re humbled by the incredibly broad support for Vern’s pro-growth agenda of lower taxes, fewer regulations and a focus on restoring the American Dream,” said campaign spokesman Max Goodman.
“Vern’s supporters know that he is a self-made conservative businessman who will bring that real world experience to the chairmanship of the Ways & Means Committee and help reverse President (Joe) Biden’s failed economic policies.”
Insider publications like POLITICO’s E&E Daily report Buchanan is “widely seen as the front-runner” to chair Congress’ most powerful committee, with energy hawks Reps. Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Jason Smith of Missouri as his competition.
At home, Buchanan faces little obstacle in his re-election effort in Florida’s 16th Congressional District. Conservative activist Martin Hyde continues a largely self-funded Republican Primary challenge. Democrat Jan Schneider, who has run and lost to Buchanan multiple times before, was the only Democrat to qualify against Buchanan. Write-in candidate Ralph Hartman also qualified.
With no competitors bringing major resources into the race, Buchanan’s fundraising continues to reach record levels. By comparison, he raised shy of $700,000 in the second quarter of 2020 when he faced Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recruit Margaret Good.
Indeed, the $900,000 raised over three months marks the most successful fundraising second quarter in his near two-decade congressional career, another sign of the national stature accompanying Buchanan’s ascension in the Ways & Means Committee.
