Alex Sink Stomps Republican Competition Fundraising
Updated 5:28 p.m. | Former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink raised exponentially more money than any of her Republican rivals in the the special election to replace the late Republican Rep. C.W. Bill Young in Florida’s 13th District.
Sink, a Democrat, raised $1.1 million and will report “over” $1 million in cash on hand, according to a release. Candidates in the tossup race were required to file pre-primary fundraising reports by Thursday.
Her closest Republican fundraising rival was GOP lobbyist David Jolly, who raised $388,000 and reported $141,000 in cash on hand. Jolly donors included former Republican Reps. Henry Bonilla and Robert Livingston and retired game show host Bob Barker. Barker, a friend of Jolly’s, notably cut an ad for Jolly that aired in early December.
Sink, who narrowly lost to Republican Rick Scott in the gubernatorial election of 2010, is the likely Democratic nominee in the tossup race. The Republican primary is shaping up to be a three-person field, featuring Jolly, state Rep. Kathleen Peters and veteran Mark Bircher. The primary is on Jan. 14.
Peters raised nearly $170,000 in her pre-primary report filed Thursday.
Peters entered the race in mid-November, but the campaign had a high burn rate going into the final stretch before the primary against GOP lobbyist David Jolly and veteran Mark Bircher. She spent about $152,000 and reported around $18,000 in cash on hand.
Peters’ paperwork showed that her individual donors were mostly Florida-based, but she picked up some help from Washington, D.C.
Roll Call reported earlier Thursday that the leadership PAC of Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., appeared on Peters’ 48-hour report, which was filed prior to the more extensive pre-primary report.
Bircher raised $58,000, which included a $23,000 personal loan and $21,ooo personal contribution. He had $12,000 in the bank.
Roll Call will continue to update these figures as other candidates file.
