Scott Maddox Back on Track, Bringing in 130K

After a weak last quarter of 2009, when his campaign to be the state's commissioner of agriculture brought in slightly more than $24,000, Scott Maddox, best known for his service as Tallahassee mayor and Florida Democratic Party chairman, brought in over $130,000 in cash and $2,500 through in-kind donations for the first quarter of 2010.

Maddox crushed the rest of the Democratic field in fundraising. His closest competitor was former Suwannee County commissioner Randy Hatch, who had raised $4,000 in cash and in-kind donations during that period. Rick Minton, who represented Fort Pierce as a state representative, brought in over $2,200, with most of that through in-kind donations. Thad Hamilton, a longtime U.S. Department of Agriculture employee who serves on the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, brought in $1,500 and loaned his campaign over $1,100.

Maddoxs figures pale in comparison to the funds being raised by U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, who is the only Republican candidate in the race. Putnam brought in over $278,000 in cash and over $118,000 through in-kind donations. But Maddoxs showing is a massive improvement over his performance in the last quarter of 2009 and clearly shows that he is the man to beat in the Democratic primary.