Daniel Webster outraises Anthony Sabatini nearly 6-to-1 in Q1

Daniel Webster says Anthony Sabatini's congressional campaign stated with a lie.

Anthony Sabatini, a former state lawmaker challenging U.S. Rep. Dan Webster in a GOP Primary, collected just over $17,000 in contributions during the first quarter of 2024. That’s more than $100,000 short of what the incumbent raised during the same time.

The bottom line: Webster wrapped the first quarter of 2021 with almost $599,000 in cash on hand to defend Florida’s 11th Congressional District. Sabatini has about $128,000, but that now includes a full $30,000 in loans.

The difference appears more significant considering Sabatini has spent upward of $201,000 on the seat, including about $72,000 in the first three months of 2024. He has reported more than $294,000 in donations since launching his campaign.

But some of the money still in his bank account cannot be spent to fight Webster. Election financial experts say $25,800 of the money can only be used on the General Election. That leaves just over $102,000 in cash, including the $30,000 loan, available to battle Webster, and that’s before paying the $10,044 qualifying fee due next week.

Webster has taken no loans this cycle.

He has collected almost $621,000 in contributions through the campaign cycle, more than $399,000 of that through individual contributions and another near $222,000 from other committees.

The incumbent has spent almost $280,000 on the campaign to date. As a matter of comparison, Laura Loomer, a Republican Primary challenger to Webster in 2022, raised more than $847,000. She ultimately lost to Webster in a closer-than-expected primary, but over the course of the race spent more than $800,000.

Another Republican, John McCloy, raised next to nothing in the quarter, about $73. His campaign has been largely self-funded, with almost $50,000 making the bulk of money reported. The campaign has collected more than $28,000.

After spending more than $78,000, McCloy closed March with less than $3,000 in the bank.

Democratic challenger Barbara Harden Hall, who filed in January, reported raising about $13,000 for the race. She closed her first quarter with about $11,000 in cash on hand.

No other candidate filed a quarterly Federal Election Commission report on activity during the first three months of 2024.