Paula Stark maintains significant cash advantage as she seeks re-election in HD 47

Rep. Paula Stark enjoys a significant cash advantage over Democratic opponent Maria Revelles despite serving in one of the most pro-Joe Biden House districts represented by a Republican.

Stark raised over $62,000 for her re-election campaign in House District 47 through Sept. 6, closing the last reporting period with $35,231 cash.

While this is a modest amount compared to some incumbents, she has more than 10 times the cash of Revelles, who, after a Democratic primary, had less than $3,200 remaining out of nearly $28,000 raised to date.

At the same time, Revelles has enjoyed more party support. To date, the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee has provided Revelles with nearly $32,000 worth of in-kind consulting and research, the bulk of which occurred in late August after Revelles secured her party nomination. The Florida Democratic Party has also provided nearly $5,200 in staff support.

In contrast, the Republican Party of Florida has provided around $6,000 in assistance to Stark’s re-election campaign to date.

That may be because, unlike some colleagues in competitive seats, Stark holds a significant cash advantage over her Democratic challenger.

Stark’s political committee also has more in the bank than one controlled by Revelles, though that’s a more complicated situation.

The Friends of Paula committee has raised less than $85,000 and spent nearly $86,000, and it is only in the black thanks to a loan for more than $11,000 from a business run by boyfriend and campaign treasurer Joel Davis. The committee’s expenditures have drawn public scrutiny, as have late-filed expense reports with the Florida House in her official capacity.

Regardless, the loans mean the committee has upward of $10,000 ready to deploy.

But since reports first surfaced about meal and travel spending, the committee has only recently spent money on more frugal campaign expenses, including about $2,400 in late August on advertising costs with Washington-based Wildfire Contact.

Her official campaign spent only a little more than $400 in August, most of that at an Osceola Chamber of Commerce hobnob. The campaign spent nothing in September.

The Friends of Maria Revelles campaign has raised a little more than $34,000, including a $3,000 boost after the Democratic Primary. The Florida Democratic Party notably provided more than $3,400 of in-kind support to Revelles in August before she was the nominee.

But the committee has only about $2,600 left in the bank, and while none of it is debt, that leaves the entity with a fraction of what Stark’s committee still has in the bank.

Stark won her seat in 2022 in one of the biggest surprises of the cycle, emerging victorious in a House district where Democrat Joe Biden won almost 56% of the presidential vote in 2020 even as Donald Trump won statewide.

The Republican won 51% of the vote to Democrat Anthony Nieves’ 49%. Revelles defeated Nieves in the Democratic Primary this year.