Jacob Ogles
Fresh off one election victory, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis has raised more than $97,000 for the next one.
The Fort Walton Republican, who won his seat in a Special Election in April, beat 15 other people to replace former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Congress. But he already has to prepare for his re-election next year.
His second-quarter fundraising shows he spent more than he took in from April through June, disbursing about $151,000 in post-election spending.
But thanks to frugality in the lead-up to the April 1 election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, he closed the fundraising period with just short of $360,000.
The money Patronis raised came primarily from individual contributions, which made up more than $78,000 of his haul. PACs donated another $18,500 to the incumbent’s campaign.
To earn his seat in Congress, Patronis had to beat nine other Republicans in a January Primary.
Most candidates who ran in the Special Election reported empty campaign accounts have not announced any plans to challenge Patronis’ re-election. A total of 17 candidates still have open campaign accounts in the district. That includes Republicans Charles Keebaugh and James Trotter, Democrat Marcel Davis and independent T.O.P. Tomasso, all candidates who didn’t run in the Special Election but who have also not reported any fundraising to date.
Among Republicans, Aaron Dimmock still has about $2,700 in cash, Kevin Gaffney has just over $300 and John Mills has around $150, but none has announced plans to run next year.
For the 2026 election, Republican Cedric Alexander has filed as a candidate but has not opened a federal campaign account to date.
Of note, Democrat Gay Valimont, a Democrat who overperformed in the Special Election and even won a majority of votes in Escambia County, has not kept her federal account open. There have been rumors she may seek local office.
But the district as a whole remains the reddest in the state. Gaetz in 2024 won more than 66% of the vote against Valimont in November. Even after Valimont massively outraised Patronis in the April Special Election, Patronis won the district with nearly 57% of the vote.
