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Florida House candidate: I'll run in 2016 on just $99

The 2014 general election is still weeks away, but Florida House candidate Ross Hancock is already looking toward the future.

Hancock, an independent who is currently running against state Rep. Erik Fresen in House District 114, has launched his bid for the 2016 election, state records show.

What's unusual about his 2016 candidacy: He's committing to a total budget of $99.

"I will accept no contributions, and our campaign account will start with $99 and that's it until Election Day 2016," the former community newspaper publisher wrote in an email to the Herald/Times. "You shouldn't have to be rich to run. A campaign shouldn't be funded by lobbyists and unions. And ordinary working people shouldn’t be pressured for small contributions. No one should pay to play."

Hancock said he will use "shoe leather, social media, and people power" to win office.

House District 114 includes parts of Coral Gables, South Miami, Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest. 

Hancock ran for the seat against Fresen in 2012 and lost by just two points.

This year, Hancock's campaign finance forms indicate that he has loaned himself about $24,000. Fresen, meanwhile, has raised about $366,000.

The Democrat in the 2014 race, Daisy Baez, has raised about $188,000.

In other House District 114 news, Baez has launched a new TV commercial that highlights her military service and commitment to public schools. The ad then goes negative, painting Fresen as a lobbyist who has "earmarked hundreds of thousands in taxpayers dollars to his sister's [charter school management] company." 

The commercial is strikingly similar to a Florida Democratic Party ad for state Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, who is running for re-election in House District 112. That district includes Key Biscayne, Brickell, the Roads, Coconut Grove and parts of Coral Gables.

Watch Baez's video below.

 

 

 

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