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Sarasota News Leader October 19, 2012 FITZGERALD CONTINUES TO OUTRAISE BUCHANAN New campaign finance reports show Democratic congressional candidate Keith Fitzgerald of Sarasota has out- raised incumbent U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, for the fourth consecutive reporting period, Fitz- gerald's staff has announced. "I'm humbled by the support we have received from thousands of Floridians," Fitzgerald said in a news release. Not only did Fitzgerald outraise Buchanan by more than $220,000, an examination of the numbers shows "this is a grassroots effort with middle-class Floridians helping Keith to beat back PACs and special interests," the news release says. It offers the following sta- tistics: • From July 1 through Sept. 30, $467,000 raised. • More than 2,650 individuals contributed to the campaign. • The average contribution was $122.52. • Eighty-three percent of contributions were from Florida. Buchanan, the finance chairman for the Re- publican National Congressional Committee, has more cash on hand than Fitzgerald, the news release says, but $250,000 of the funds are debt Buchanan owes himself for a personal loan. VIDEO OF FITZGERALD-BUCHANAN DEBATE ON YOUTUBE Scandal-scarred U.S. Rep. Vern Bu- chanan, R-Longboat Key, squared off against Democratic challenger and former state Rep. Keith Fitzgerald Wednesday, Oct. 17, in a feisty debate hosted by Manatee Ed- ucational Tele- vision. It was the first time the two candidates had confronted each other in person, and the first opportuni- ty for voters to see the pair go head-to-head. Buchanan and Fitzgerald debated Medicare, Social Security and — you guessed it — con- gressional ethics. METV has graciously published the full, 58-minute de- bate on You- Tube, and you can view it here. View this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swb1KD- Cu92k A second de- bate — hosted by Sarasota's ABC station, Channel 7 — is scheduled to air Sunday, Oct. 28. Page 59