Jacob Ogles
Orange County GOP Chair Erin Huntley has already raised six figures to challenge state Rep. Leonard Spencer.
The West Orange Republican reported more than $81,000 in contributions to her official campaign account in the first quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, she collected $67,000 in the political committee Conservative Solutions for Florida, on top of a $1,000 donation reported in December.
“I am extremely thankful for the support I’ve received from so many for our campaign,” Huntley said. “While the overall total is truly humbling, I am especially grateful for the number of donors who contributed from our Central Florida community: Over 200 individual local donations from Orange and Osceola counties.”
Subtracting expenses, her committee closed the quarter with more than $66,000 cash on hand, while her official account had almost $79,000, or more than $145,000 collectively. Maximum $1,000 campaign donations came from Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys, Fun Spot America, Axis Holidays, Phoenicia Development, Ramba Consulting and ChiroPAC.
She also had dozens of individuals give the maximum to her campaign, including Dan Newlin, who was recently picked as the next Ambassador to Colombia, and from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, state Rep. Susan Plasencia and former State Attorney Andrew Bain. The campaign committee for U.S. Rep. Dan Webster also donated $1,000.
That puts Huntley on good footing, but she still will be challenging a sitting incumbent. That said, Spencer, who in 2024 unseated Republican state Rep. Carolina Amesty, holds the distinction of being the only Democratic member of the Florida House representing a district where a majority of voters supported Republican Donald Trump for President over Democrat Kamala Harris in November.
That sets the House District 45 contest up already as one of the most closely watched legislative races of the 2026 cycle.
Spencer, who cannot fundraise during the Legislative Session, reported more modest figures in the first quarter. He raised under $8,300 in the first three months of the year for his official account, after raising less than $300 after the election in 2024. The campaign wrapped the quarter with just over $8,500 cash.
Big Spencer donors who gave $1,000 maximum donation include the Committee of Florida Agents, Dosal Tobacco, the Florida RV PAC, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, HCA West Florida and the Florida Justice PAC. Spencer also put $2,500 of his own money into the campaign account.
The Friends of Leonard Spencer committee reported almost $1,200 in new donations in the first quarter, which was less than the committee expenses. The bottom line, the incumbent’s committee reported a little more than $13,000 still in the bank. That means he has almost $22,000 cash on hand total between both accounts.
