Republican Candidate Headley-Perdue Posts Strong Financial Figures in 9th House Race

The story in the 9th House race has been the tight battle between Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, and former Leon County Democratic Chairman Rick Minor for the Democratic nomination. Once again, Minor brought in more cash than the incumbent, who was prohibited from fund-raising in April when the Legislature was in session. Minor raised $15,224.17, while Rehwinkel-Vasilinda raised less than $11,000. However, Rehwinkel-Vasilinda has an advantage in terms of cash on hand, with around $53,000 compared to Minor who had around $20,000 in the bank when the second quarter ended on July 16.

But there is another factor in the race -- a Republican candidate who has started her campaign off with a strong war chest.

Two years ago, Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda barely won in a district that Barack Obama took by 24 points," said Justin Ford, Minors campaign manager. Shes a liability, and if Democrats want a strong candidate with the policy experience and good judgment to move this state forward, they will vote for Rick Minor on Aug. 24.

While Ann Yarko, a young and plucky conservative, had been the only Republican in the race for a while, Kirk Headley-Perdue, a businesswoman and former social worker, filed back in June to run as a Republican. Headley-Perdue threw $25,000 of her own money into the campaign and apparently got some attention from the Republican Party of Florida, who kicked in another $25,000 in cash and more than $3,500 through in-kind donations. Including the personal contribution and the amount the RPOF added, the Headley-Perdue team raised more than $67,000 in cash.

As Ford noted, Rehwinkel-Vasilinda barely won in 2008 against Republican Peter Boulware, a football legend from his days with the Florida State Seminoles. The Republicans are clearly betting that whoever emerges from the battle between Rehwinkel-Vasilinda and Minor will be weakened, and without Obamas coattails this could be a prime opportunity for the GOP to pick up a House seat. With the emergence of Headley-Perdue, this race will increasingly bear watching, even after the Aug. 24 primary.