Kiyan Michael, backed by Ron DeSantis, finding traction in HD 16 race
Kiyan Michael knows the magic of a Ron DeSantis endorsement.

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Fundraising slows for Lake Ray, Chet Stokes as donors find Michael late.

Kiyan Michael lagged far behind her two opponents in the House District 16 race in terms of fundraising, until Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed her last month.

Headed into the homestretch of the campaign, Michael is find tractioning with donors right on time for the Aug. 23 Republican Primary for the Duval County seat in the state House, after a campaign dominated by stronger fundraising from her opponents, both White male political veterans.

During the week ending Aug. 5, Michael reported raising $54,000 between her campaign account and the supportive Friends of Kiyan Michael political committee. The Safety Net Hospital Alliance gave $1,000 to her campaign account, while other donors with statewide profiles gave even bigger sums to her committee account.

One particularly significant donation was from ICI Homes of Daytona Beach, which gave the Michael committee $10,000. ICI Homes is owned by Mori Hosseini, who chairs the University of Florida Board of Trustees.

Michael has a television ad up spotlighting the DeSantis endorsement, one funded by a previous $50,000 donation from the Friends of Ron DeSantis political committee.

She has roughly $110,000 on hand between the two accounts, but momentum is with her at a key time.

The leading fundraiser in the field is still Jacksonville Beach City Councilman Chet Stokes, the establishment choice in the race before DeSantis went with Michael.

He raised just north of $5,500 between his campaign account and his Strengthening Florida’s Future political committee in the week ending Aug. 5, with the biggest donation being $2,000 from NextEra Capital, the holding company of Florida Power and Light.

Despite the slowdown in his fundraising, Stokes still has over $225,000 on hand between the two accounts. He has self-funded aggressively, with $250,000 of loans to his campaign this cycle, and he has had television ads running for weeks.

Former Rep. Lake Ray, a political veteran from the western part of the district, represented the former House District 12 for four terms. Donations were slow for him in the week ending Aug. 5, with just over $5,000 raised between his political committee, A Stronger Florida for Us, and his campaign account. After spending roughly $40,000 that week on media, he has roughly $110,000 on hand.

Only Republicans can vote in this race, as two write-in candidates qualified and closed the Primary.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


4 comments

  • Gloria

    August 13, 2022 at 8:01 pm

    4.. Earn Good Monthly Income Now From Home ..>>>xurl.es/pay1

  • Just a comment

    August 15, 2022 at 11:28 am

    Support removing pensions and cutting that pay

  • Retired in Jax Beach

    August 15, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    Wondering why no one is talking about the Campaign Finance Violations filed against Kiyan? She campaigns for fair elections while breaking the law by not disclosing her expenditures. She’s even more corrupt than the others!

  • Former Friend and neighbor of the Michaels

    August 15, 2022 at 6:39 pm

    Updated: I’ve known Kiyan for many years also being a Navy wife and used to call her a friend. I watched as Bobby and Kiyan raised their children, and they lost my respect and friendship seeing how their children turned out. Unlike Kiyan I had to work while my husband frequently deployed with my children growing up in daycare. Kiyan was a full time mother, and her children are a direct reflection of their parents. Kiyan uses Brandon’s story as her main reason for running, but there’s more to that story. Brandon was a convicted criminal, arrested for trespassing with a concealed firearm. And interesting that her other children aren’t mentioned, with their felonies. There were more than a few questionable looks as different vehicles would appear in the driveway as soon as the ship was underway… but we never asked questions about their marriage. Kiyan couldn’t keep her own house in order, and is trying to convince you that she’s ready. I still remember seeing that Clinton/Gore bumper sticker on her minivan. She lost my trust years ago, and I hope others see through her deception today! Stop misleading people about who you are! – wife of Senior Chief S.W.

Comments are closed.


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