Records with the Department of State this week show two high-profile candidates — an incumbent and a challenger — are filing for the 2020 election.
Longtime Jacksonville broadcaster Donna Deegan, a Democrat, and incumbent U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, a Republican, are the likely 2020 general election opponents in Florida’s 4th Congressional District.
CD 4, which encompasses St. Johns and Nassau Counties and a large swath of Duval, is a Republican-performing district.
GOP voters comprise 286,013 of the district’s 577,173 registered voters, compared to 155,073 Democrats, with independents and third-party registrants making up the balance.
Rutherford’s strong name identification, a deep red district, and underwhelming challengers, combined with a strong Republican plurality, have given him roughly 70 percent of the vote in his previous two general election efforts.
In the third quarter of 2019, Rutherford reported just over $70,000 raised, giving him $228,900 raised for the election cycle, and $443,376 on hand.
The vast majority of the funds raised in the quarter came from corporate political action committees (PACs).
Deegan trumpeted first-day fundraising of $85,000, though barring a popular groundswell, she likely will not have access to the institutional capital Rutherford has.
Two other candidates, Republican Gary Koniz and Democrat Monica DePaul, have also filed with the state of Florida. Neither has raised any money.
Other candidates, for now, only have accounts registered with the Federal Elections Commission.
Chris Eagle, another Democrat, has raised zilch as well. Republican Erick Aguilar has $52 on hand.
