Political money favors incumbents, Republicans

Local Republican candidates have received multiple donations of $1,000 or above, while their challengers' support comes from smaller donations.


Stock photo by John Gucci
Stock photo by John Gucci
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Large donations are overwhelmingly favoring incumbents and Republicans in races for the position of Flagler County sheriff and Flagler County commissioner.

Sheriff Rick Staly and other familiar local Republican candidates are seeing large numbers of donations of over $1,000 each, while challengers’ average donations are smaller.

Staly by far had the highest number of individual donations of over $1,000 from others, at 49, while none of challenger Larry Jones’ donors provided as much as $1,000. 

Among the sheriff’s financial supporters are developers such as ICI Select Realty, multiple bail bond companies, Captain’s BBQ and Palm Coast Ford.

In the District 5 County Commission race, incumbent Donald O’Brien drew support from the Sunshine State Conservatives and Florida Foundation for Liberty, who each gave $1,000, and from ICI Realty and Prestwick at Plantation Bay.

The District 1 County Commission race does not have an incumbent, as commissioner Charlie Ericksen is not running for re-election.

But Andy Dance, a School Board member who’s resigning from that post in order to run for the County Commission seat as a Republican, earned eight monetary contributions of over $1,000, while his competitor, Democrat Corinne Hermle, was supported by smaller individual donations, with none of $1,000 or above.

Dance’s supporters include the Sunshine State Conservatives and Florida Foundation for Liberty and Quantum Electrical Contractors, among others.

Sheriff

Rick Staly (R):
Contributions: $114,349.40
In-kind: $11,818.74
Expenditures: $83,434.69

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 49
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $5,000 loan

Larry Jones (D):
Contributions: $4,115.00
In-kind: $2,197.18
Expenditures: $1,543.00

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 0
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $300

County Commission District 1

Andy Dance (R):
Contributions: $19,258.99
In-kind: $3,403.11
Expenditures: $14,186.61

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 8
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $5,000 loan

Corinne Hermle (D):
Contributions: $7,284.86 
In-kind: $1.10
Expenditures: $6,677.69

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 0
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $1993.66

County Commission District 5

Donald O'Brien (R)
Contributions: $31,950.00
In-kind: $64.00
Expenditures: $29,863.92

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 13
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $17,500 loans

​Paul Anderson (NPA)
Contributions: $4,590.00
In-kind: $831.39
Expenditures: $2,967.27

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 1
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $50

Denise Calderwood (NPA)
Contributions: $4,500.00
In-kind: $0.00
Expenditures: $3,359.48

Individual monetary contributions from others of $1,000 or above: 1
Monetary contributions from candidate to self: $3,500

 

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