Business owner Jennifer Winkler raised more than $55,000 in her first quarter of fundraising in her bid to succeed Rep. James Buchanan.
The Sarasota Republican filed for the open House District 74 race in August[1] and quickly amassed five figures between her campaign account and her Friends of Jennifer Winkler[2] political committee.
“I’m humbled by the early outpouring of support for my campaign,” Winkler said. “This is only the beginning. I am excited to share my conservative, pro-America, pro-Florida platform across our Sarasota County district.”
She is running in a crowded GOP Primary field that includes Chris Felder, Carl Goodrich, Les Nichols, Nick Pachota and Kelly Ann Walker. Democrat Nancy Simpson has also filed, but the district leans heavily Republican.
Buchanan cannot run again because of term limits and is running instead for Senate[3].
Buchanan won almost 65% of the vote over Simpson in November. According to MCI Maps[4], more than 62% of voters in the district supported Donald Trump for President.
Winkler owns The Peeples Insurance Agency[5], which she founded in 2014 and grew to employing 21 people in three locations and serving 6,500 clients statewide.
The insurance agency donated $3,500 to Winkler’s committee. Insurance executive Ronald Scalzo donated $20,000 to the committee, while the Florida Association of Insurance Agents’[6] committee donated another $10,000, plus $1,000 to Winkler’s candidate account.
Donors to Winkler’s campaign account include American Integrity Claims Service, American Integrity MGA, Pinnacle Insurance Consultants, Florida Financial Services PC and Cabrillo Coastal General Insurance, which all gave $1,000.
Real estate firm owner John McNaught, insurance executive Kyle Ulrich and government affairs/relations professionals Paul Mitchell, Roy Cannon and Lisa Miller all also gave maximum $1,000 donations to the campaign.
Born in Maine and raised in Vero Beach, the University of Central Florida graduate has lived in Sarasota County since 2010. She and husband Ryan Winkler raised four adult children and are active members of the Church of St. Patrick.
“As the owner of an insurance agency, I know Floridians and businesses struggle with premium costs,” Jennifer Winkler said when she launched her campaign. “I am ready to go to Tallahassee and pass changes needed to bring rates down and keep the Florida dream alive.”
References
- ^ in August (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Friends of Jennifer Winkler (www.friendsofjenniferwinkler.com)
- ^ for Senate (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ MCI Maps (substackcdn.com)
- ^ The Peeples Insurance Agency (peeplesinsurance.com)
- ^ Florida Association of Insurance Agents’ (www.faia.com)