Billy House/Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON -- Freshman GOP Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor has become the second Tampa Bay area congressman to raise at least $1 million so far for his re-election bid this fall, exceeding $1.05 million.
Bilirakis joins GOP Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow in reaching that fundraising plateau, with Putnam’s total now over $1.35 million.
These new numbers are detailed in the latest campaign committee filings with the Federal Election Commission made available on Wednesday, reflecting fundraising and spending from January 2007 through the end of June.
They show that all five of the Tampa Bay area’s members of Congress – Putnam, Bilirakis, Democrat Kathy Castor of Tampa, and Republicans Ginny Brown-Waite of Brownsville and C.W. “Bill” Young of Indian Shores -- continue to stock their war chests at rates dwarfing the amounts of the hopefuls seeking to unseat them.
However, the scramble for dollars is a bit different for Bilirakis and his efforts to defend his 9th Congressional District seat.
Bilirakis’ money chase comes as one of his potential Democratic challengers, businessman and former Plant City Mayor John Dicks, has so far loaned to his campaign committee $320,000 of his own cash.
In addition, Dicks has raised more than $104,000 in contributions – bringing the amount he has collected for his campaign coffers altogether from himself and other sources to $424,000.
Along with the political base that Plant City provides him, Dicks’ ability and apparent willingness to dig deep into his own pockets could help make the race potentially the most competitive in the bay area. As of June 30, Dicks had more than $323,000 remaining in the bank, about half the $642,000 that Bilirakis had sitting in his campaign accounts.
Before he can focus completely on Bilirakis, however, Dicks must defeat two other Democrats vying for a shot at the congressman in an Aug. 26 primary.
One, Bill Mitchell of Carrollwood, has loaned his campaign $100,000 and also raised another $70,000 in contributions. The Navy veteran who practices unemployment law in Tampa reported having $139,310 left in the bank.
No financial report to the FEC was available as of Wednesday from the campaign committee of Anita de Palma of Clearwater, the third Democrat in the race and a former Florida director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. The FEC does not require a candidate to file a finance report until the campaign has either raised or spent at least $5,000.
Dicks’ early efforts have caught the eyes of Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s national strategists in Washington. They have listed his potential square-off with Bilirakis this fall as among their “20 emerging races in the country.”
Kyra Jennings, the Southern regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says that Dicks is considered to be “truly a viable candidate.” The money that he has loaned his campaign is “showing other folks that he is vested in this campaign, and truly committed to the race,” she said.
Non-partisan political analysts, such as those with The Cook Political Report, say they see the race for the Bilirakis seat as the Tampa Bay area’s potentially most competitive. Even so, David Wasserman, the Cook expert on House races nationally, still rates the district as “likely” in the Republican incumbent’s control. There was no comment Wednesday from Bilirakis.
The unevenness in fundraising between incumbents and challengers in the Bay area’s other congressional races is more typical, reflecting the big advantages sitting members of the House have.
Incumbents usually have wider name recognition. They also often have free access to the media, can send taxpayer-funded mail to constituents that tends to be self-promotional, and special interests that focus on getting things done in Washington tend to direct donations to people who are already there and on the job.
Those and other advantages help push incumbent re-election rates high - between 94 and 98 percent over the past four congressional elections, according to The Center For Responsive Politics.
12th Congressional District
Of the more than $1.35 million that Putnam, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, has raised for his re-election campaign, his filing with the FEC this week shows he had nearly $672,000 still in the bank.
Democrat Douglas Tudor of Riverview, who is retired from the Navy, has raised more than $50,000, including a $25,000 loan to his campaign from himself. He reported $40,649 in the bank as of June 30.
5th Congressional District
Brown-Waite reported raising $479,570 through June 30. Her campaign listed $409,723 in the bank.
John Russell, a Dade City Democrat and health care professional, reported raising $14,099 – $9,900 of that in a loan to his campaign from himself. He listed $2,310 in the bank and $10,100 in debts as of June 30.
No financial report to the FEC was available as of Wednesday from the campaign committee of Democrats Carol Castagnero, a retired teacher in Lakeland, or David Werder, a disabled truck driver from Spring Hill.
11th Congressional District
Castor reported raising $445,150 through June 30. Her campaign listed $306,817 still in the bank.
Republican Eddie Adams Jr., a Tampa architect who lost in 2006 against Castor in what then was an open-seat race (no incumbent seeking re-election), reported raising $$24,349 for his campaign – including $8,600 in a loan from himself. His campaign reported $3,997 in the bank as of June. 30, and $22,700 in debts, which includes the amount of the loan to himself.
10th Congressional District
Young reported raising $555,258 for his committee since January 2007. With money left over from previous re-election campaigns, his committee reported having $700,079 in the bank on June 30.
Democrat Bob Hackworth, the Dunedin mayor, reported raising $26,681 in contributions and that his campaign also received $45,000 in loans made or guaranteed by the candidate himself. He reported $16,177 left in the bank.
Another Democrat, Samm Simpson of Dunedin, reported raising $21,906 and having $9,297 in the bank.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at bhouse@mediageneral.com or at 1 (202) 662-7673.
Bilirakis joins GOP Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow in reaching that fundraising plateau, with Putnam’s total now over $1.35 million.
These new numbers are detailed in the latest campaign committee filings with the Federal Election Commission made available on Wednesday, reflecting fundraising and spending from January 2007 through the end of June.
They show that all five of the Tampa Bay area’s members of Congress – Putnam, Bilirakis, Democrat Kathy Castor of Tampa, and Republicans Ginny Brown-Waite of Brownsville and C.W. “Bill” Young of Indian Shores -- continue to stock their war chests at rates dwarfing the amounts of the hopefuls seeking to unseat them.
However, the scramble for dollars is a bit different for Bilirakis and his efforts to defend his 9th Congressional District seat.
Bilirakis’ money chase comes as one of his potential Democratic challengers, businessman and former Plant City Mayor John Dicks, has so far loaned to his campaign committee $320,000 of his own cash.
In addition, Dicks has raised more than $104,000 in contributions – bringing the amount he has collected for his campaign coffers altogether from himself and other sources to $424,000.
Along with the political base that Plant City provides him, Dicks’ ability and apparent willingness to dig deep into his own pockets could help make the race potentially the most competitive in the bay area. As of June 30, Dicks had more than $323,000 remaining in the bank, about half the $642,000 that Bilirakis had sitting in his campaign accounts.
Before he can focus completely on Bilirakis, however, Dicks must defeat two other Democrats vying for a shot at the congressman in an Aug. 26 primary.
One, Bill Mitchell of Carrollwood, has loaned his campaign $100,000 and also raised another $70,000 in contributions. The Navy veteran who practices unemployment law in Tampa reported having $139,310 left in the bank.
No financial report to the FEC was available as of Wednesday from the campaign committee of Anita de Palma of Clearwater, the third Democrat in the race and a former Florida director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. The FEC does not require a candidate to file a finance report until the campaign has either raised or spent at least $5,000.
Dicks’ early efforts have caught the eyes of Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s national strategists in Washington. They have listed his potential square-off with Bilirakis this fall as among their “20 emerging races in the country.”
Kyra Jennings, the Southern regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says that Dicks is considered to be “truly a viable candidate.” The money that he has loaned his campaign is “showing other folks that he is vested in this campaign, and truly committed to the race,” she said.
Non-partisan political analysts, such as those with The Cook Political Report, say they see the race for the Bilirakis seat as the Tampa Bay area’s potentially most competitive. Even so, David Wasserman, the Cook expert on House races nationally, still rates the district as “likely” in the Republican incumbent’s control. There was no comment Wednesday from Bilirakis.
The unevenness in fundraising between incumbents and challengers in the Bay area’s other congressional races is more typical, reflecting the big advantages sitting members of the House have.
Incumbents usually have wider name recognition. They also often have free access to the media, can send taxpayer-funded mail to constituents that tends to be self-promotional, and special interests that focus on getting things done in Washington tend to direct donations to people who are already there and on the job.
Those and other advantages help push incumbent re-election rates high - between 94 and 98 percent over the past four congressional elections, according to The Center For Responsive Politics.
12th Congressional District
Of the more than $1.35 million that Putnam, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, has raised for his re-election campaign, his filing with the FEC this week shows he had nearly $672,000 still in the bank.
Democrat Douglas Tudor of Riverview, who is retired from the Navy, has raised more than $50,000, including a $25,000 loan to his campaign from himself. He reported $40,649 in the bank as of June 30.
5th Congressional District
Brown-Waite reported raising $479,570 through June 30. Her campaign listed $409,723 in the bank.
John Russell, a Dade City Democrat and health care professional, reported raising $14,099 – $9,900 of that in a loan to his campaign from himself. He listed $2,310 in the bank and $10,100 in debts as of June 30.
No financial report to the FEC was available as of Wednesday from the campaign committee of Democrats Carol Castagnero, a retired teacher in Lakeland, or David Werder, a disabled truck driver from Spring Hill.
11th Congressional District
Castor reported raising $445,150 through June 30. Her campaign listed $306,817 still in the bank.
Republican Eddie Adams Jr., a Tampa architect who lost in 2006 against Castor in what then was an open-seat race (no incumbent seeking re-election), reported raising $$24,349 for his campaign – including $8,600 in a loan from himself. His campaign reported $3,997 in the bank as of June. 30, and $22,700 in debts, which includes the amount of the loan to himself.
10th Congressional District
Young reported raising $555,258 for his committee since January 2007. With money left over from previous re-election campaigns, his committee reported having $700,079 in the bank on June 30.
Democrat Bob Hackworth, the Dunedin mayor, reported raising $26,681 in contributions and that his campaign also received $45,000 in loans made or guaranteed by the candidate himself. He reported $16,177 left in the bank.
Another Democrat, Samm Simpson of Dunedin, reported raising $21,906 and having $9,297 in the bank.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at bhouse@mediageneral.com or at 1 (202) 662-7673.