Republican incumbents David Simmons and Lizbeth Benacquisto outpaced other Senate candidates in raising campaign cash during the second quarter of 2011, new reports show.
Simmons, R-Maitland, raised $91,640 between April 1 and June 30, while Benacquisto, R-Wellington, pulled in $62,165. Candidates faced a Monday deadline for filing campaign-finance reports, though not all had been posted on the Division of Elections' website as of 7 p.m.
The reports show that fundraising for the 2012 elections was dominated by incumbent senators and by House members running for Senate seats.
The biggest exception was Pasco County Republican Wilton Simpson, a newcomer who is seeking the seat held by term-limited Sen. Mike Fasano. Simpson raised $48,890 during the quarter and has amassed $140,265 since entering the race -- more than double the $61,305 total of Republican Rep. John Legg, who also is running for the seat.
Simpson runs a company that does duct cleaning and asbestos removal, and also owns and operates an egg farm in Trilby. He has ties to future House
Speaker Will Weatherford, and is heavily involved in Pasco County politics.
While Simmons, Benacquisto and Simpson led second-quarter fundraising, their overall totals are far behind two of the Legislatures most-powerful members, House Appropriations Chairwoman Denise Grimsley and future Senate President Don Gaetz.
Grimsley, who is seeking a seat held by term-limited Sen. J.D. Alexander, has raised $550,901. The Sebring Republicans total includes $32,010 in the second quarter.
Gaetz, meanwhile, raised only $12,450 during the most recent three months. But the Niceville Republican, who is expected to become Senate president after the 2012 elections, has raised a total of $320,260.
With Republicans dominating the Senate, donors wrote most of their checks to GOP candidates during the quarter. A top Democratic recipient was newcomer Victoria Siplin, who raised $21,550 as she tries to succeed her husband, Sen. Gary Siplin, in an Orlando-area district.
Redistricting will lead to races next year in all 40 Senate districts. At least so far, most incumbents have not drawn challengers.
Open seats, meanwhile, appear to be magnets for House members and former House members looking to move to the Senate.
They include former Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who has raised a total of $271,593 as he runs for a Northeast Florida seat, and former Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, who has raised a total of $248,459.
