Hill Enjoys Money Edge In Today’s Special House Election

June 11, 2013

With Republicans trying to hold onto a Panhandle House seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Clay Ford, GOP candidate Mike Hill goes into a special election Tuesday with a huge financial edge over his Democratic rival.

Hill, a Pensacola insurance agent, raised $189,005 in cash and another $11,657 in in-kind contributions through Thursday, according to reports filed with the state Division of Elections. That compares to the $27,022 in cash and $1,964 in in-kind contributions raised by Democrat Jeremy Lau, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 2777.

The state GOP has backed Hill heavily since he won a May 14 primary over five other Republicans, funneling $39,000 in cash to the campaign and also providing the in-kind contributions, which included help with staffing and polling.

Hill also has received support from industries, groups and lobbying firms that are major players in Tallahassee. As examples, he has received money from several insurance-industry political committees, along with groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Florida Medical Association.

He also has received money from companies — or their political arms — such as the HCA health-care chain, Humana and AT&T. Lau, meanwhile, has received $1,000 from the Florida Democratic Party and chunks of money from labor groups, such as $2,000 from the Florida AFL-CIO.

Hill and Lau are running in House District 2, which includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in the southwest Panhandle. The seat became vacant after Ford, a Gulf Breeze Republican, died of cancer in March.

Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in the district by about 10,000 voters. The contribution totals to Hill and Lau do not reflect money that outside groups might have spent.

A group called The Committee for a Better Florida, Inc., indicates on its website that it is associated with Hill. That group has raised $56,000 since mid-April, according to the website, including $5,000 from Hill and money from some groups that also contributed to his campaign.

By The News Service of Florida

Comments

2 Responses to “Hill Enjoys Money Edge In Today’s Special House Election”

  1. Larry on June 11th, 2013 8:33 am

    Hill raised over $200,000 in a very short period of time, most of it from lobbyists and special interest groups, just to be rep in the Florida House. We have the best politicians money can buy.

  2. Walnut Hill Roy on June 11th, 2013 7:52 am

    As they say in Chicago: “vote early and vote often!”

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