Michelle Salzman campaign raises over $16K in April-May period

Republican Michelle Salzman will pose a primary challenge to Rep. Mike Hill, saying he has passed ‘zero bills’ in Tallahassee.

Republican state Rep. Michelle Salzman of House District 1 has roughly $114,000 in the bank between her re-election campaign and political committee.

Salzman, who defeated former Republican state Rep. Mike Hill in her 2022 re-election campaign, has raised $132,192 this cycle via her campaign account, including $16,300 raised during the reporting period covering April 1 through May 31.

Salzman’s official campaign account had 13 max donors, according to the latest campaign report. This included Capital City Consulting, one of the most lucrative lobbying firms in the state that earned $25.5 million last year. Donors also include Lewis, Longman & Walker, as well as RSA Consulting Group.

The Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists was also listed as a max donor for Salzman. The group has been pushing for a wider scope of practice for anesthetists, who were excluded from a bill (HB 607) championed by former House Speaker Jose Oliva that allowed advanced practice registered nurses to operate primary care services without a physician’s supervision.

Salzman’s campaign has also spent $121,656 to date, leaving $10,536 in the bank.

Among the biggest expenses in the report was a more than $9,000 payment to St. Petersburg-based Direct Mail Systems, as well as nearly $4,000 to Ross Consulting, a political consulting firm relaunched in 2021 by founder Ashley Ross after originally being founded in 2015.

Salzman’s affiliated committee, the Committee to Protect Northwest Florida, has raised $468,236 since it was founded in 2020 and finished May with about $103,000 remaining. Recent expenditures include a $25,000 contribution to the Republican Party of Florida. The committee was also listed as a max donor for Salzman.

No other Republicans are challenging Salzman. One Democratic candidate is filed: Franscine C. Mathis, who ran against Salzman in 2022 and lost 69.3% to 30.7%. However, she has not reported any campaign finance activity through May.

Salzman is highly likely to be re-elected to her seat. House District 1, as redrawn for the 2022 cycle, has a mostly Republican tilt.