Lindsay Cross enjoys more than $100K cash advantage over Ed Montanari in HD 60

Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross has raised more than $295,000 to defend her swing district this November. That’s on top of more than $8,500 in support from the Florida Democratic Party.

The St. Petersburg Democrat over April and May collected more than $23,000 in donations to her candidate account. That brings her total for this election cycle above $218,000 as she seeks a second term representing House District 60.

Additionally, the political committee Moving Pinellas Forward raised nearly $30,000 during the latest period as well. That PC has added more than $77,000 this cycle.

Minus expenses, Cross’ campaign account closed May with almost $187,000, while the committee ended May with nearly $82,000 in cash on hand.

That leaves the incumbent with more than $268,000 at her disposal.

“I’m incredibly thankful to our hundreds of grassroots donors — their support will not only help us win this race but also demonstrates wide community support,” Cross said.

Cross in 2022 was one of few success stories for Florida Democrats in an otherwise bruising cycle. She won a closely watched House race against Republican Audrey Henson, taking 54% of the vote to the Republican’s 46%.

Her victory in an open seat eyed as flippable by Tallahassee Republicans was a rare bright light for Democrats as GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio cruised to re-election in landslides and Republicans secured supermajorities in the state House and Senate.

Cross faces another heated race this year against St. Petersburg City Councilman Ed Montanari, the only Republican holding city office in St. Pete right now. Republican voter registration efforts in Tampa Bay have made this a closely watched contest.

But Cross’ campaign notes that the incumbent has a cash advantage of more than $100,000 right now.

Montanari’s campaign raised well over $45,000 in April and May, outperforming Cross, and closed the period with upward of $123,000 in cash. His donations included a $25,000 check from the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee. But the Friends of Ed Montanari committee collected just $7,500 and wrapped May with just over $42,000 in the bank.

“My opponent was picked to run by the same Tallahassee leadership who bailed out the insurance industry while my constituents pay more to live in their homes,” Cross said.

“They’ve taken away women’s reproductive rights — including a late session attempt to ban IVF. We need someone who will stand up and provide a voice for residents affected by rising insurance renewals, flooding, and anti-freedom legislation.”

A big factor in the race could be party support. The Florida Democratic Party provided about $8,400 in staff support in-kind to Cross’ campaign in the last two months. Meanwhile, Montanari received $13,000 of in-kind support from the Republican Party of Florida in that time.

Cross’ committee collected $5,000 from the Florida Alliance’s Florida For Everyone political committee. She also added $5,000 from St. Petersburg philanthropist Randolph Snell. Sarasota-based FCCI donated $3,000 to the committee while the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance gave $2,000. The body also reported $1,000 checks from the Florida Retail Federation’s committee, as well as from TD Synnex Vice President Rob Auslander and consultant Ryan Diebler.

In her campaign account, Cross reported $1,000 donations from law firm Green and Greene and from the Murphy-Neiland Trust. Lawyers Anne Pollack and Todd Michaels also gave maximum contributions, as did tech entrepreneur Christopher Findlater and retiree Jean Vogel.