Crist leads in fund-raising for Senate 13 seat

The state representative has raised more than four times as much money as Faye Culp, his nearest competitor for the state post. Most of that money comes from political action committees.

By DAVID PEDREIRA

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2000

TAMPA -- Fueled by contributions from politically powerful donors, state Rep. Victor D. Crist is laying the financial groundwork for a formidable run to win the state Senate seat being vacated by John Grant.

Crist, R-Tampa Palms, raised $103,494 in cash through the end of March in his effort to move from the House to the Senate, relying heavily on political action committees and corporate contributors, state campaign finance records show.

His main Republican competitor, former state legislator Faye Culp, raised only $25,330 in the same period, records show.

A third Republican, David Reynaert, has filed his intent to qualify, but had raised no money through the end of March. No Democrats have declared for the seat.

Crist, currently a House representative serving District 60, already has heavily outspent Culp, laying out $40,000 through March compared to Culp's campaign expenditures of $18,000.

The main difference in the race for the Senate's District 13 seat, which encompasses central Pasco and much of Hillsborough County, is Crist's ability to attract money from a wide range of political action committees and big-ticket contributors, records show.

So far, more than $63,000 of Crist's money has come in the form of $500 contributions, the maximum allowed by the state. Most of that money came from PACs representing everything from Big Tobacco to the telecommunications industry.

Culp, meanwhile, has received only 15 contributions of $500, records show. Most of her campaign money is coming in contributions of $100 or less.

Crist, who has won Grant's endorsement, said he is collecting money from a wide spectrum of contributors, including regular folk who live in his district.

The fact that political action committees and powerful lobbyists such as Ron Book are backing him, Crist said, merely shows that people who know politics are betting on him to win the seat.

"They will support who they perceive to be the winner," Crist said.

Culp, who served in the House from 1994 to 1998 before making an unsuccessful bid to be state Education Commissioner, said she hasn't received a lot of PAC money because she isn't courting it.

Culp is planning a fundraising reception at the Columbia Restaurant in June. Most of her contributions, she said, come from small donors living in the district.

While Culp conceded it is hard to unseat a current representative who has ties with the politically connected in Tallahassee, she noted she has beaten incumbents twice before.

"We're just getting started," she said. "I don't know whether I'll be able to raise $100,000 like he has, but I campaign very differently from what he's doing."

Even with Crist's strong start, the District 13 race pales in comparison to other Senate battles when it comes to money.

Rep. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, who heads the powerful House General Appropriations Committee, has raised $522,000 in his bid to move to the Senate.

Sen. Jack Latvala, the Republican majority leader who hails from Palm Harbor, has already collected $353,000 for his re-election bid, records show.

-- David Pedreira can be reached at (813) 226-3463 or pedreira@sptimes.com.

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