The race for a state House seat covering much of northern Sarasota County is starting to heat up, with Democrat Margaret Good raising nearly twice as much campaign cash as Republican James Buchanan during the last reporting period and Buchanan's allies lashing out with attack ads targeting Good.
The hardball tactics by Buchanan supporters and Good's strong fundraising totals are signs that that the race is highly competitive.
The district has a relatively narrow partisan split. President Donald Trump won it by 4.4 percent points and a Republican has held the seat since 2010. But Democrats have targeted the contest and are pouring money into the race in the hopes that the political climate has shifted in their favor.
Democrats are crowing about Good's latest fundraising total, noting how unusual it is for a Democrat to collect more money than a Republican in GOP-leaning Southwest Florida. Good's big fundraising haul is even more noteworthy because Buchanan was expected to be a fundraising juggernaut as the son of a wealthy congressman, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan.
Good's campaign reported Wednesday that the candidate raised $106,830 from Dec. 1 through Jan. 4, compared with $55,500 for Buchanan. Fundraising figures for Libertarian candidate Alison Foxall weren't posted online as of Wednesday evening. She raised $11,097 through Nov. 30.
Good, a Siesta Key attorney, has now raised $227,314 total compared with $282,630 for Buchanan, a Sarasota real estate professional who also has another $53,572 in in-kind contributions, mostly in the form of polling, campaign staff and research paid for by the Republican Party of Florida. A political committee affiliated with Good has raised another $89,202 to support her campaign, including $51,102 since Dec. 1. Most of that money has come from Palmer Ranch developer Hugh Culverhouse. Buchanan also is receiving support from PACs, but the exact amount is difficult to determine.
With the Feb. 13 election less than five weeks away and absentee voting already underway, the candidates and outside PACs are starting to ramp up their spending on ads.
Outisde groups have launched a number of attacks against Good. A PAC called Leadership for Florida’s Future paid for a mailer attacking Good for supporting expanding Medicaid in Florida under the Affordable Care Act. The mailer calls the ACA “possibly the most destructive government program in recent history” and describes Good as an ally of Democratic U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the House.
A television ad that began airing last week attacks Good’s record as an attorney and her alleged views on immigration.
The television ad says that “Good defended allegations of fraud, negligence, Ponzi schemes and financial mismanagement” and adds that she “sides with liberals in making Sarasota a sanctuary city for illegal aliens” and “even tried to stop a Sarasota school teacher for getting her rightfully earned bonus.”
Good campaign manager Kevin Lata called the television ad “30 seconds of lies… funded by special interests groups and insiders who want to continue business as usual in Tallahassee.” Lata did not immediately respond to questions asking for specifics about why the ad is inaccurate and the Herald-Tribune has not independently reviewed Good's legal cases.
“Margaret Good will stand up for our community,” Lata added. “She will ensure everyone has affordable and accessible healthcare, invest in education, and protect our environment. It is time Buchanan Junior man up and call on these special interests groups to take down their false advertisements.”
Lata also drew attention to a letter Good, 41, sent to Buchanan, 35, last week asking him to debate her. Buchanan’s campaign has said the candidate will not participate in any public forums.
“It is beyond time he debates Margaret Good in a public setting as opposed to hiding behind the special interests groups who are lying about her record and distorting those she has represented in court,” Lata said.