While Democrat Bryson Morgan is again challenging incumbent Rep. Jessica Baker in southern Duval County’s HD 17, his debut quarter of fundraising suggests donors aren’t taking him seriously.
Morgan, an Amazon driver who ran last cycle when he was just 21 years old, raised just over $200 in his first quarterly fundraising report encompassing activity through March 31.
He did loan himself $100 also, but while the address on his candidate page appears to be in the district in the Baymeadows area, the address associated with that transaction is actually in Avondale, in HD 13 currently represented by Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon.
We reached out to the candidate while writing this on Saturday morning to get his comment on why he’s running for a district in which his own fundraising report suggests he doesn’t actually live, but did not get immediate response.
Although Baker couldn’t raise money during the Legislative Session, she got her work in before it officially began in January, bringing in more than $20,000.
Various Police Benevolent Associations donated, as did lobbyist Ron Book from both his law firm and personal capacity.
Baker got roughly 58% of the vote the last time she faced Morgan. While Democrats believe they can do better in a potential mid-term wave election defined by backlash against Republican-controlled Washington, D.C., their candidate in this district has some ground to make up and at least one important question to answer.
