Attorney and Navy veteran Paul Renner has a solid head start in his bid for an open Florida House seat. Renners campaign announced on Tuesday that more than $60,000 had been brought in during the third quarter of 2013.
I am humbled by the outpouring of support from our community, Renner said in a statement. If I am given the honor of serving, I will be a vocal advocate of common-sense conservative policies that will help return Florida to economic stability and prosperity.
Sunshine State News contacted the Renner campaign on Tuesday, who said they had raised $60,400 through cash donations and the candidate loaned his campaign $500.
Renner is running for the seat currently held by Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville, who is leaving his seat in 2014 to lead the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. The seat represents parts of Duval County including the Westside of Jacksonville. So far, Renner is the only candidate running for a solidly Republican seat. Davis remains filed as an active candidate with the state Division of Elections but has said he will not run next year.
An attorney with Milam Howard, Renner served in the Navy during Desert Storm before going to law school and eventually becoming an assistant state attorney in South Florida. A member of the Republican National Lawyers Association, Renner was active in trying to defeat the Fair District amendments to the Florida state Constitution back in 2010. He also helped out John McCains presidential campaign back in 2008 with election law.
Renner filed his paperwork to run for the House seat back in early July and he has won the backing of some of the leading Republicans on the First Coast, including getting the backing of Duval County Sheriff John Rutherford a few weeks after launching his bid.
Paul Renner deserves to represent the voters of Northeast Florida, as a man with a proven track record of public service, a respected business lawyer and prosecutor, said Rutherford when he endorsed Renner back at the end of July. Paul is also a decorated veteran, most recently earning the Defense Meritorious Service Medal in Afghanistan, as his work led directly to the capture and arrest of those who meant harm to our nation. I support him in his race for the Florida House of Representatives District 15.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
