Aimee Sachs
Since filing to win back his House District 1 seat on June 14, Republican Mike Hill has outraised incumbent GOP Rep. Michelle Salzman.
Hill raised $12,600, compared to the $11,650 Salzman raised from June 18 to July 1. But Salzman still has plenty more cash on hand to fend off the Primary challenge from the former Representative.
But House leadership is supporting Salzman in her bid to retain her HD 1 seat. She received $49,000 from The Florida House Republican Campaign Committee on June 17. The committee is chaired by Speaker-designate Paul Renner, who personally endorsed her for re-election.
“Michelle Salzman is a strong conservative and the fresh voice we need in Tallahassee,” the Palm Coast Republican said in a statement.
He added, “Her service to our country, her experience as a small business owner, and her commitment to putting her constituents first have prepared her for the battles we will take on in Tallahassee to make Florida the best state for children, families, veterans and workers to succeed.”
She also collected a $1,000 contribution from the Communications Workers of America, known as CWA-COPE. COPE stands for the Committee on Political Education.
According to its website, COPE donations go toward mailers, voter registration drives and phone banks.
Overall, she raised $65,846 in June, including $54,196 from June 1 to June 17.
To date, Salzman has spent $9,435 on her re-election campaign, paying $2,500 to Ross Consulting LLC.
Hill, who has received seven contributions of $1,000, represented House District 2 from 2014 to 2016 before leaving office for a failed Senate run. He then represented HD 1 from 2018 to 2020.
Salzman, a U.S. Army veteran, defeated Hill in the 2020 Primary Election with 52.5% of the vote over his 47.5%. She had outraised him by $10,000 and received endorsements from the Florida Medical Association PAC.
In 2019, Hill received widespread backlash when a recording leaked, revealing he had joked about putting gay people to death.
A constituent had said, “In 1 Corinthians, it says that a man who has an affair with another man will be put to death.”
Hill replied it was also stated in the Old Testament, and when someone else asked him if he would introduce legislation he quipped, “I wonder how that would go over.”
The controversy cost him his spot on the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee.
Hill also sent out misleading mailers saying Salzman wanted to defund the police, along with other positions unpopular with Republican voters.
Salzman went after Hill for not getting anything done in the Legislature.
None of the bills Hill sponsored during his last term were passed by the Republican-led Legislature. Salzman has passed five bills during her term, including legislation aiding Pensacola firefighters.
HD 1 covers the northern part of Escambia County and just outside Pensacola city limits.
