Janet Cruz surpasses $1M raised for re-election campaign

Janet Cruz gets big backup for her re-election fight.

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Janet Cruz has surpassed the $1 million fundraising landmark as she runs for re-election in Senate District 14.

Cruz, who will face Republican opponent Jay Collins in the General Election, raised the funds between her campaign and affiliated political committee, Building The Bay PC.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team and our supporters for this very important milestone,” Cruz said in a statement.

“And while we’ve come a long way, we can’t forget what’s at stake this November. Republicans in Tallahassee will stop at nothing to gaslight Floridians with controversial hot button issues while quietly stripping funding away from our schools, doing nothing to address the rising inflation in our state, and threatening to take away a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. We cannot take this race for granted. I’m proud to fight every day for our constituents and I look forward to, with your continued support, four more years.”

Cruz’s campaign provided the most recent financial update. The announcement comes after a successful June fundraising period for Cruz. Last month, Cruz’s political committee received a $50,000 boost from Sen. Jason Pizzo via his affiliated political committee, New Opportunity Florida. Pizzo recently pledged $500,000 to support “real Democrats” in their races after qualifying for his seat unopposed.

But state GOP leadership is working to compete with Cruz’s funds, with House Speaker Pro Tempore Bryan Ávila’s political committee, Fighting for Florida’s Families, dropping $20,000 last month on Collins via the new entrant’s political committee, Quiet Professionals FL.

The pair are in for a tough race, with Cruz boasting a hefty war chest — she started July with over $587,900 cash on hand between her campaign account and affiliated political committee. Collins started July with $126,778 between his two fundraising sources, but he has shown that he too can raise strong funds.

Collins has pulled an endorsement from Gov. Ron DeSantis upon his entrance into the race. Tampa businessman Shawn Harrison, who filed in April, left the race in response to Collins’ shift.

SD 14 is a blue-leaning seat, but a competitive one. About 51.25% of voters under the new SD 14 lines favored Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election while 47.33% voted for Republican Donald Trump.