Buchanan: Fund-raising will pay for most of his TV ads

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan has a well established track record of when needed, dipping into his personal wealth to help finance his political campaigns. Already this cycle and facing a vigorous challenge from Democrat Keith Fitzgerald, he has loaned his campaign $250,000.

The possibility of Buchanan needing to kick in even more was raised this week when his media adviser said the campaign had reserved $4 million in television ad time in Tampa Bay and Sarasota, starting Aug. 1. As of March 31, he had a reported $1.47 million in cash on hand, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission.

On Friday, Buchanan told the Bradenton Herald's Sara Kennedy he expects he will be able to raise most of what he'll need for the advertising.

"We're going to look to raise most of it, it's our goal, so we're moving towards that," Buchanan said.