District 13 money gap widens

MANATEE -- The financial race for the 13th Congressional District seat is turning into the haves versus the have-nots, according to quarterly campaign-finance reports filed Tuesday. At the top is U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, whose re-election campaign collected $614,612 in April, May and June to break the $3 million mark, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission. Far behind financially is Democratic challenger Christine Jennings, whose $380,347 take during the three-month period pushed her campaign's total to $1.17 million. Lagging even further behind are two independents mounting late bids to oust Buchanan, a freshman Republican from Longboat Key. Don Baldauf, a writer, producer and security-firm owner from Bradenton, raised $200 to go with the $8,530 he's loaned his campaign since it began in May. Jan... [read full story]