Melton Little grows massive cash advantage in HD 71 contest

Republican Melton Little now enjoys a nearly three-to-one fundraising advantage over his next closest Primary opponent.

The Manatee County native raised more than $90,000 in the third quarter of 2025, including $20,000 in self-funding. That brings his total fundraising to more than $120,000, a third of that out of pocket.

That’s on top of more than $10,000 raised to his Make Manatee Great Again^[1] political committee.

“I am truly humbled by the tremendous show of support from our community,” Little said. “I asked them for help and they responded. It’s clear that the voters want someone to represent them in Tallahassee who is a qualified, experienced and a committed constitutional conservative who will always keep the citizens of Manatee at the forefront of every discussion.”

The Palmetto attorney launched his campaign in June. He faces Kristen Truong^[2] and Jordan Varnadore^[3] in a GOP Primary in the race to succeed Rep. Will Robinson, a Bradenton Republican, in House District 71. Robinson cannot seek another term representing HD 71 because of term limits.

Little has practiced law in Manatee County for more than 30 years. With his current war chest, his campaign has claimed frontrunner status.

By comparison, Truong has raised more than $28,000 in her candidate account and another $21,000 in her Sun Coast Conservative Alliance^[4] committee.

Meanwhile, Varnadore has raised about $26,000. He has opened a political committee, Protecting Manatee Values^[5], but it has reported no fundraising to date.

Democrat Marie Masferer has also filed and raised more than $1,100.

Republicans hold an advantage in the district. In November, more than 57% of voters in HD 71 supported Republican Donald Trump for President, while just over 41% supported Democrat Kamala Harris.  Robinson won re-election with nearly 60% of the vote over Democrat Adriaan DeVilliers.

The seat makes up west Manatee County, including Bradenton and Palmetto.