JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With less than three weeks to go before the city of Jacksonville’s first election of 2019, incumbent Republican Mayor Lenny Curry continues to hold a large financial advantage over his challengers.
Campaign finance reports submitted Friday, which include the period of Feb.16-22, show that Curry’s campaign raised $13,200, bringing its overall fundraising total to $570,167. During the same time period, the campaign spent $145,604.40, most of which went toward advertising. As of the latest reports, the campaign still has more than $320,000 cash on hand.
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Republican city Councilwoman Anna Brosche, Curry’s closest competitor in the polls, still lagged behind Curry in terms of fundraising. During the latest reporting period, her campaign brought in $15,891, raising its total to $163,876. The Brosche campaign spent $20,360 over the same week, mostly on advertising. According to the campaign finance reports, the campaign has more than $112,624 cash on hand.
Curry has also benefitted from the war chest of the political committee supporting him, Jacksonville On the Rise. The committee, which started raising money in March 2018, has brought in more than $4.4 million in all. The latest reporting period included $16,500 in contributions and more than $429,000 in expenditures. A portion of that money went toward advertising, but the largest single expenditure was a $250,000 contribution to the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. That committee had paid for an ad supporting Curry, which featured the endorsement of former Democratic Mayor and current city Councilman Tommy Hazouri.
Despite all of this spending, Jacksonville On the Rise still has more than $1 million cash on hand, according to the latest finance reporting.
Brosche is also benefiting from the financial support of a political committee. The group supporting her, A New Day PC, has raised $374,000 as of its latest filed report. Unlike the committee supporting Curry, which is filed through the Duval County supervisor of elections, Brosche’s committee is filed through the Florida Division of Elections and adheres to a different reporting schedule. Its last report was submitted Feb.11, and its next report is not due until March 11.
The other two candidates on the ballot, Republican Jimmy Hill and no party affiliation candidate Omega Allen, continue to lag significantly behind Curry and Brosche in terms of fundraising. In the latest reporting period, Hill’s campaign brought in $670, bringing its total to $15,411, most of which has been spent. Allen brought in $1,060, bringing her total to $12,080.