Jacob Ogles
Despite Florida picking up a seat after the 2020 Census, a controversial redistricting process ultimately pit two members of the delegation against one another to campaign for the same seat.
U.S. Reps. Neal Dunn, a Panama City Republican, and Al Lawson, a Tallahassee Democrat, were both elected in 2016 after a court-led redistricting shift offered both men opportunities to win seats. The two are now doing battle in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District.
But based on fundraising, Dunn holds a significant advantage heading into the final stretch of the CD 2 race. He reported $519,857 in cash-on-hand, as compared to Lawson’s $212,232 for the last days of the campaign, as of Oct. 19.
DeSantis thumbed his nose at Lawson’s former district during the creation of a new map, arguing the Tallahassee-to-Jacksonville district was unconstitutionally drawn with racial motivation. The Governor tore it to pieces in his own cartography.
The resulting CD 2 on the map is a district Republican Donald Trump won with 54.86% of the vote in 2020. While it remains one of the six most closely divided districts in Florida based on voter registration, no major prognosticators list it as a race to watch this year.
All this has clearly impacted Lawson’s fundraising ability. He collected $711,145 over the whole cycle compared to Dunn’s $1,671,448. That means despite his incumbency and the high-profile squabble with the Governor, Lawson raised less than any other incumbent Representative in Florida except one. And Hollywood Democrat Frederica Wilson, who raised just 589,617 to defend Florida’s 24th Congressional District, probably doesn’t need it since Republican opponent Jesus Navarro sits on exactly $0 in cash-on-hand.
There’s also been little third-party spending on the race, with a modest $345 spend by the Florida Freedom PAC on Lawson’s behalf the only significant outside expenditure reported to the Federal Election Commission.
