Ben Diamond raises $380K in first 8 weeks of CD 13 campaign

State Rep. Ben Diamond has raised over $380,000 in the eight weeks since launching his run for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in hopes of succeeding U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist.

His second quarter haul is slightly higher than that of primary opponent Eric Lynn, who reported raising more than $368,000 for the same period. However, Lynn holds north of $500,000 cash-on-hand from previous fundraising.

The St. Petersburg Democrat reports that a majority of donors this period came from “grassroots contributors” — individuals who donated $100 or less.

Diamond’s campaign provided the latest finance update. More information on expenditures and donors will be available when he releases his required campaign finance disclosure to the Federal Elections Commission.

“I am grateful and humbled to see such positive community support and growing momentum for our campaign,” Diamond said in a statement. “We are seeing support from every corner of the district, and we will need that support to win in November of next year.”

Diamond, a lawyer who previously served as general counsel to former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, was first elected to the Florida House in 2016 and has been reelected twice, in 2018 and 2020. The Democratic Caucus in the House voted to install him as Minority Leader in 2022, but Diamond is leaving that leadership post behind to run for Congress.

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