Republicans outraise Democrats by 137% in Florida Senate races


Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.

While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.

This article lists top fundraisers in the Florida State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Florida Department of State. It includes activity between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.

Top fundraisers in the Florida State Senate by party

The top fundraisers in Florida State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.

In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers were:

  • Reggie Gaffney (District 6) – $448,959
  • Annette Taddeo – $261,113
  • Lauren Book – $211,400
  • Lori Berman – $171,630
  • Loranne Ausley – $142,308

In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers were:

  • Wilton Simpson – $5,468,138
  • Jason Fischer (District 4) – $823,631
  • Ed Hooper (District 16) – $680,345
  • Ray Rodrigues – $515,716
  • Blaise Ingoglia (District 10) – $459,648

Fundraising totals

Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $1.97 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $10.50 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, filing period raised $12.47 million.

The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 63 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 76 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.

The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top ten fundraisers during this period.

TOP TEN FUNDRAISERS – FLORIDA STATE SENATE (January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021)

NameParty AffiliationRaisedSpent
Wilton SimpsonRepublican Party$5,468,138$17,646
Jason FischerRepublican Party$823,631$70,636
Ed HooperRepublican Party$680,345$155,358
Ray RodriguesRepublican Party$515,716$171,187
Blaise IngogliaRepublican Party$459,648$40,122
Reggie GaffneyDemocratic Party$448,959$8,516
Annette TaddeoDemocratic Party$261,113$94,478
Gayle HarrellRepublican Party$245,755$68,643
Clay YarboroughRepublican Party$230,083$14,738
Jason BrodeurRepublican Party$212,154$211,687

Campaign finance reporting periods

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Florida Department of State. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. In 2022, Transparency USA will publish campaign finance data after the following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report NameReport Due Date
2022 Q4 Data (2021 M12)1/10/2022
2022 M34/11/2022
2022 Primary 27/8/2022
2022 Primary 58/5/2022
2022 General 19/2/2022
2022 General 39/30/2022

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.