Jacob Ogles
Rep. Tom Keen has substantially outraised Republican opponent Erika Booth. But heading into the final month of the campaign, the challenger has the most cash on hand.
Keen, who defeated Booth earlier this year in a House District 35 Special Election, has raised more than $110,000 through Oct. 4 to defend the seat. By comparison, Booth has raised more than $95,000.
But Keen has also spent his money more aggressively, even though Booth faced Primary opposition in August and the incumbent did not. Keen burned through almost $69,000, and wrapped the last reporting period with almost $42,000 left in his candidate account. Meanwhile, Booth has spent just over $34,000, and that prudency leaves her campaign with more than $61,000 in cash on hand for the final stretch.
Meanwhile, the Keen-controlled political committee Friends of Tom Keen also raised more over its lifespan than Booth PAC, a committee chaired by Booth’s husband and Osceola County Commissioner Ricky Booth. But after expenses, the Keen committee as of Oct. 4 had about $7,900 in cash with the Booth committee holding more than $20,000.
Of note, the Keen committee also received a notable in-kind donation, with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in July providing more than $13,000 worth of food, drinks and entertainment for an event. That’s notable, as Keen replaced Republican Rep. Fred Hawkins, who sponsored legislation that dissolved the Disney company’s self-governing district.
Of course, the high-priority race has both state parties shoveling campaign resources to their respective candidates in the battleground seat. Democrats have provided more support to Keen than Republicans have to Booth to date.
The Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee has given nearly $113,000 in field consulting and polling for Keen. Additionally, the Florida Democratic Party has provided him more than $29,000 in professional staff and benefits for his campaign.
On the Republican side, the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee offered more than $45,000 in polling and text message serves for Booth. The Republican Party of Florida also gave nearly $28,000 in campaign staffing, research and texts.
