A huge $22,500 haul from developers and real estate professionals over the last two weeks has given Pasco County Commission candidate Mike Moore his best fundraising week of the campaign, raising a whopping $34,250.
It easily dwarfed the $600 his Democratic opponent Erika Remsberg raised during the same period, bringing Moore’s total for the campaign over $166,000.
However, more than 65 percent of that total came from individuals and companies involved in real estate, development and related industries — something that made Moore a target during his primary campaign from opponents who said they refused to take any money from companies who might be looking for a vote on the commission.
Moore also has paid out more than $123,000 — outspending Remsberg 19-to-1.
Since Remsberg entered the race in February, Moore has received $65,203 — or 57 percent — of his funds from donors inside Pasco County, including 62 percent locally since the primary. However, he’s only spent 34 percent of that money inside the county he wants to represent, and just 10 percent since the primary. Since the end of August, Moore has spent a little less than $2,400 in Pasco out of more than $23,000 in total expenditures.
More than 77 percent of the money Remsberg raised has come from Pasco County since she entered the race, but also has struggled to keep those funds inside the county, spending 59 percent of it outside of the county. Her numbers have improved a little bit since the primary, now spending 43 percent — or a little more than $650 — to Pasco businesses.
Moore has raised the most money since Ronald Oakley’s failed attempt to unseat Ted Schrader in the 2012 commissioner race brought in just under $243,000. He’s closing in on John Nicolette, who collected $170,500 to battle Schrader in 2008, and passed Michael Cox, who raised $162,600 against Henry Wilson Jr. in 2010.
However, despite all that money raised, Moore may not necessarily want to be included in that elite club: Oakley, Nicolette and Cox all lost to candidates who raised less than they did. Schrader had two of those wins, but Wilson’s in 2010 was significant, because he had raised just $8,700 — just 5 percent of Cox’s total.
Remsberg so far has raised just 5 percent of Moore’s total.
Voters will make the final decision between the two on Nov. 4, with the winner set to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri.
