Money pours into Hillsborough state attorney campaigns. Here’s who’s giving.

TAMPA — If money is any indication, Suzy Lopez is in a strong position in the November election for Hillsborough state attorney, while her opponent, Andrew Warren, has amassed enough to be competitive.

Lopez, who was appointed to the job after Gov. Ron DeSantis ousted Warren, has drawn more than $1 million in support from heavyweight Republican funders, campaign finance records show.

Warren, though, has received more than $600,000 between his campaign and an affiliated political action committee. That’s still far more than most local campaigns typically raise. The highest totals in other Hillsborough countywide races this year are in the low hundreds of thousands.

The towering sums reflect the high stakes in what’s expected to be one of Florida’s most closely watched races.

How Lopez is raising and spending

Campaign finance records show Lopez with a sizable advantage. Since she filed to run in the summer of 2023, the Republican has raised more than $1.1 million through direct donations to her campaign and contributions to her political action committee, Friends of Suzy Lopez.

Those who gave to her campaign include prominent Tampa criminal defense lawyers, along with several senior members of the state attorney’s office staff.

Her political committee saw funds in the tens of thousands from Republican lawmakers and DeSantis allies. Some notable names include GOP activist Martin Garcia, whose investment firm, Pinehill Capital Partners, gave Lopez’s committee $15,000. She also received upward of $100,000 from a collection of political committees linked to Republican lawmakers and state officials, including State Sens. Jim Boyd, Danny Burgess and Jay Collins, Rep. Lawrence McClure and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

She’s also drawing on strong support from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. The sheriff and his wife, Nikki DeBartolo, whose personal wealth runs into the millions, both made contributions to Lopez’s campaign. A political committee dubbed Friends of Chad Chronister also gave $25,000 to Lopez’s committee.

Lopez has spent most of the money she raised, but still has more than $300,000 heading into the campaign’s final weeks, records show. She’s used her campaign funds to pay for consultants, direct-mail advertising and text messages, among other expenses.

She also appears to be banking heavily on TV advertising. Records filed with the Federal Communications Commission show that since September, she has spent at least $400,000 to purchase local TV ad time. The state Republican Party also purchased TV ad spots to help her, along with Hillsborough County Commission candidates Ken Hagan and Chris Boles, records show.

How Warren is raising and spending

Warren has raised a little more than half as much as Lopez. Between his campaign and an affiliated political committee, Safer Stronger Florida, he has tallied about $665,000.

His total is perhaps partly a reflection of his late entry into the race. Warren first announced early this year that he would not run for the office from which he was ousted, citing the likelihood that DeSantis would suspend him again if he won. But after a favorable ruling from an appeals court, he changed his mind. He announced a run in April, shortly before the qualifying deadline.

He entered the race with significant financial backing from his political committee, which saw donations start rolling in shortly after his August 2022 suspension.

His major boosters include the prominent Tampa personal injury attorney Steve Yerrid, whose law firm has given $19,000 to Warren’s committee in this election cycle, records show. Warren also received large donations from several prominent Tampa Bay-area figures and organizations, including philanthropist Frank Morsani, Tampa Bay Rays Executive Brian Auld and the ubiquitous personal injury firm Morgan and Morgan.

A political committee linked to Raymond Paultre, a Democratic fundraiser who worked on the 2012 Florida campaign of former President Barack Obama, gave Warren’s committee $10,000, records show.

Warren has also produced video ads, though he appears to be less reliant on traditional TV commercials. Instead, he appears to be targeting voters on social media. One ad that surfaced on Facebook featured Robert DuBoise, whose exoneration for a murder he did not commit Warren helped facilitate.