Baxley leads Smith in Senate cash race

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

In a battle between two House members for a Senate seat, Ocala Republican Dennis Baxley last month continued extending his fund-raising advantage over Inverness Republican Jimmie Smith, according to newly filed finance reports. Baxley and Smith are running in 2016 to succeed term-limited Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, in Senate District 5, a massive area that includes all or parts of 10 counties. Baxley raised $13,829 for his campaign account in August, bringing his overall total to $168,354. Baxley, who also earlier loaned $10,000 to his campaign, had spent a total of $53,433 as of Aug. 31, the reports show. Meanwhile, Smith raised $7,660 for his campaign account in August, bringing the overall total to $74,982. Smith had spent a total of $49,047 as of the end of August.