Mayor hopefuls in Jacksonville race make big leaps when it comes to funds

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Impressive first showing from Bailey(at least in terms of money raised)


Via Jacksonville.com


http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-07-12/story/bailey-raises-spends-first-three-months-jacksonville-mayoral-campaign

Political newcomer Jim Bailey raised more than $105,000 in his first quarter as a Jacksonville mayoral candidate, but he has now spent more than anyone else in the race.

Bailey, owner of Bailey Publishing, spent $73,000 â€" $30,000 more than anyone else. He said he got a lot of up-front costs out of the way â€" paying for his campaign’s website and paying several one-time consultants to get started.

Bailey also gave his campaign $25,000, saying it was important to put some of his own “skin in the game.”

Bailey was among several candidates who entered the race in April and thus filed their first finance reports of the campaign on Monday. Former city General Counsel Rick Mullaney announced last week he raised $345,000 from April to June, skyrocketing to the top of the pack.

Two Democrats in an otherwise GOP-dominated field filed their first reports on Monday. Former Clinton administration aide Alvin Brown raised $65,000 and City Councilwoman Glorious Johnson brought in $10,000.

Audrey Moran, president of the Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless, raised about $68,000 last quarter and trails only Mullaney, with $294,000 to date. Tax Collector Mike Hogan is next, with nearly $256,000 after raising $74,000 last quarter.

Councilman Kevin Hyde, who along with Hogan and Moran entered the race last fall, continues to lag behind.

Hyde raised $5,000 last quarter and loaned his campaign $25,000, bringing his total to just over $92,000.

Although there have been rumblings in political circles that Hyde is on his way out of the race, he said Monday the fact he’s putting his own money toward it should show his commitment to the campaign.