TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida has pumped another half-million dollars in matching funds into the governor’s race, as the Nov. 6 election nears.
The Florida Division of Elections reported Wednesday that $567,262 in matching funds was sent out in the latest weekly distribution, with the bulk landing in the gubernatorial campaigns of Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum. The program provides matches for individual contributions of $250 or less to candidates’ campaign accounts.
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Gillum got a check Wednesday for $360,746 and has now surpassed DeSantis in overall state funding -- $1,728,945 to $1,704,340.
DeSantis’ check on Wednesday was worth $179,084.
Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5, Gillum’s campaign account pulled in a total of $1.42 million in contributions, with 32 percent coming in contributions of $250 or less from 14,284 donors. In the same time, DeSantis’ campaign account collected a total of $1.2 million, also with 32 percent of the money in the $250 of less category. DeSantis received 6,974 contributions within the matching-funds limit.
Since Gillum’s upset primary victory at the end of August, he has received $1.23 million in matching funds. In the same time, DeSantis has received $728,504 from the state.
Overall, the program has now directed $7.1 million to nine statewide candidates, including four that failed to get through the primaries.
In the race for attorney general, Democrat Sean Shaw, a state House member from Tampa, got a check Wednesday for $15,303 and overall has received $278,220 from the program. Republican Ashley Moody, a former Hillsborough County circuit judge, received $9,228 on Wednesday and is up to $406,629 from the state.
In the race for state chief financial officer, incumbent Republican Jimmy Patronis received a check for $2,900 on Wednesday. Patronis has received $316,995 through the program. Democratic CFO candidate Jeremy Ring, a former state senator, has not taken part in the program.
The two remaining candidates in the race for agriculture commissioner, Republican Rep. Matt Caldwell and Democrat Nikki Fried, are not using the program.