Good brings in 3 times as much money in third quarter. Buchanan still has $1M in the bank
In the final stretch of her bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, state Rep. Margaret Good raised more than three times as much money as the Republican incumbent.
According to the latest campaign finance records, Buchanan raised about $300,000 between July and September. Good released her record-breaking numbers earlier this month, boasting a haul of $1.1 million in that same time frame.
“I am grateful to the thousands of supporters who have joined this effort to bring positive change to our community,” Good, D-Sarasota, said in a prepared statement announcing her fund-raising numbers. “Clearly, the voters of the 16th District are ready for change and I look forward to working for them in Congress on the issues that are important to them, like strengthening our economy, solving our water quality issues, and lowering health care costs.”
Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, edged out Good when factoring in funds raised throughout the entire election cycle. His campaign collected more than $3.3 million, while Good has raised about $3 million, including about $330,000 raised in the first two weeks of October. Records show that Buchanan, one of the richest members of Congress, contributed $500,000 to his campaign via loans.
Buchanan also maintains the advantage when it comes to the amount of cash on hand that either campaign has left. Good’s campaign reported having around $170,000 in the bank at the end of the quarter, while Buchanan still has over $1 million in campaign finance funds.
“This is a race between a bipartisan congressman who has successfully passed 22 bills into law under three different presidents and a partisan gadfly with zero accomplishments whose campaign unraveled out of the starting gate and never recovered,” Max Goodman, Buchanan’s campaign manager, said in a prepared statement.
Buchanan and Good are confident about their Election Day chances. Good’s campaign says a recent internal poll shows the Democrat within 3 percent of Buchanan, while Buchanan’s campaign points to a FiveThirtyEight analysis that gives the incumbent a 91 percent chance of re-election.
Both candidates are running to represent Florida’s 16th Congressional District, which includes Manatee County and parts of Sarasota and Hillsborough counties. Good and Buchanan are set to participate in a debate hosted by Manatee Educational Television on Oct. 23.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 2:41 PM.
