Following the money: Who is funding Florida’s race for governor?

As Florida voters prepare to choose their next governor, millions of dollars are flowing into the race from individual donors, businesses and political groups.

WINK News reviewed campaign finance data compiled by Transparency USA, a nonpartisan website that collects and organizes government campaign finance filings, to take a closer look at the money supporting two of the leading candidates for governor: Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly.

The records provide a snapshot of who is financially supporting the candidates. But political experts caution that a campaign contribution alone does not establish that a donor will receive favorable treatment or influence a candidate’s decisions.

Donalds builds significant fundraising advantage

Donalds has built a significant financial advantage in the race.

Transparency USA data shows Donalds’ campaign and political committees supporting him have raised more than $99 million from a wide range of individuals and organizations.

Among them are the Seminole Tribe of Florida, NextEra Energy Capital Holdings and Duke Energy. Billionaire political donors, including Jeff Yass and Richard Uihlein, have also contributed significant amounts.

The industries represented by some of those contributors have interests in decisions made at the state level, including energy and gaming policy.

Donalds has also received support from companies connected to proposed data center developments in Florida, according to reporting by POLITICO.

UCF political scientist Aubrey Jewett told WINK News that Donalds’ fundraising advantage is partly connected to President Donald Trump’s early endorsement and the perception among donors that Donalds has a strong chance of winning.

“He has raised a ton of money, mainly because he was able to get President Trump's endorsement early on,” Jewett said.

Donalds has maintained a substantial lead over his Republican opponents in primary polling. Recent general election polling has shown a closer potential race between Donalds and Jolly.

Jewett said major businesses and interest groups often contribute to candidates they believe have a strong chance of winning because they want policymakers to hear their concerns once in office.

“The big interests all really want to have access and influence,” Jewett said.

Jewett stressed that a contribution does not mean a candidate will make a particular policy decision for a donor.

Jolly raises millions, but trails Donalds financially

Transparency USA data shows Jolly has brought in more than $5.5 million in total contributions.

While that is substantially less than the money supporting Donalds, Jewett said Jolly faces a different political environment as a Democrat running statewide in Florida.

“He is the Democratic candidate in Florida in a state that has trended Republican,” Jewett said.

Jolly served in Congress as a Republican before leaving the party and later becoming a Democrat. Jewett said Jolly's political background could also present a challenge in generating enthusiasm among the Democratic base.

Jewett said Jolly is receiving support from groups traditionally associated with Democratic candidates, including labor organizations, trial lawyers and environmental interests.

He also said some businesses and interest groups contribute to candidates from both parties, a practice he described as a way of “hedging their bets.”

Does more campaign money mean a candidate will win?

Not necessarily.

Campaign money allows candidates and supporting groups to buy advertising, hire staff, organize voters and repeatedly put their message in front of the public.

“The candidate who raises the most money is more likely to win,” Jewett said. “It's not a perfect correlation.”

The same caution applies when examining whether campaign contributions translate into policy decisions.

Jewett said researchers often have difficulty establishing a direct connection between a particular contribution and a particular government action.

In other words, the money is relatively easy to track. What happens after an election can be much harder to measure.

Campaign finance data can show voters who is financially supporting a candidate. It cannot, by itself, show what a donor expects in return or whether that contribution will affect how a candidate governs.