Jacob Ogles
Brandon Democrat Eddie Geller raised upward of $150,000 in his run for Congress last quarter.
“I couldn’t be happier that voters are responding so well to our message,” Geller said. “People recognize that you can’t keep running the same candidates over and over again and expect different results. It’s time for a new generation of leaders to step up.”
Campaign officials for the comedian-turned-candidate say the six-figure haul shows strong grassroots support in a critical swing district.
“These numbers tell us, without a doubt, that people are hungry for something new,” campaign spokesman Derek McDonald said.
And the group notably took a pot shot at Alan Cohn, the Democratic nominee in Florida’s 15th Congressional District in 2020. Cohn jumped into the race during qualifying week, and announced he raised upward of $100,000 in his first two weeks, while grabbing headlines with key endorsements.
But he’s still lagging Geller, who entered the race last year. Geller outraised Cohn for the quarter and already started with cash in the bank. Over the course of the race, Geller has raised more than $435,000 to run for the open seat.
“The fact that Alan barely broke six figures after months of teasing an entry into this race speaks volumes,” McDonald said. “Eddie has been putting in the hard work on the ground to win this toss-up seat not only in the primary, but to bring it home for Democrats in November.”
Geller’s campaign said his money rolled in from more than 4,500 contributions, including from 3,300 individual donors across the country.
He does boast some national political connections, and served as video director for the Democratic National Committee in 2016.
The campaign this year set itself apart with attention-snagging videos such as a launch with a campaign jingle and an agenda ad modeled as a parody of a perfume commercial.
Under a new congressional map, CD 15 became an open seat with no incumbent, covering east Hillsborough, west Polk and south Pasco counties. It leans Republican but is one of the most closely divided in the state, with 50.86% of voters under the new lines having voted for Republican Donald Trump in 2020 and 47.74% supporting Democrat Joe Biden.
New analysis released by Cook Political Report this week shows the district as the most competitive seat in Florida this year.
