Skipper, Rathjen Lead In Out Of County Campaign Donations
Skipper Also Leads In Donations From PACs
As the 2026 local election cycle hurtles towards the primary elections, campaign finance filings reveal that Erin Skipper, a candidate for the Clay County School Board District 1, has raised substantially more money than her opponents in the early reporting period.
According to the filings, Skipper has received roughly $25,000 in contributions, far outpacing the other candidates tracked in the reports. Much of that support has come in the form of $1,000 checks from political action committees based outside Clay County, including:
First Coast Conservatives
Clay Conservatives
Friends of Judson Sapp
Friends of Traci Koster
Protect Our Florida Values
Additional $1,000 donations arrived from local businesses and individuals in the Green Cove Springs and Orange Park areas, along with several $500 gifts from regional donors.
Michael Rathjen, seeking a seat on the School Board in District 4, ranks second in total contributions, drawing roughly half as much as Skipper.
His support includes several $1,000 donations from family members and associates in North Carolina and Texas, as well as business contributions from property management and insurance firms in the broader Jacksonville region.
Rathjen has received no PAC dollars, despite a trip earlier this year to “Clay Day” in Tallahassee to court the favor of State Representatives Sam Garrison and Judson Sapp, and State Senator Jennifer Bradley.
Michele Hanson, also running for School Board District 4, has relied more heavily on smaller, recurring individual donations — often in the $25 to $100 range — from a core group of local supporters.
In the County Commissioner District 2 race, Lolita Isabel Mancheno-Smoak has attracted a geographically diverse set of individual donors, including contributions from Wisconsin, Georgia, New York, and several other states, though her overall totals remain lower.
Ashley Gilhousen and Gerald Beasley, candidates for School Board District 5, have each reported nearly all of their early funding as self-contributions or loans. Leroy Edwards, also running for County Commissioner District 2, has received comparatively modest support so far.
A notable portion of the money flowing into these races has come from outside Clay County. Skipper’s campaign stands out in this regard, with more than $12,000 — nearly two-thirds of her total — originating from PACs and donors based in Tallahassee, Tampa, Coral Gables, and other parts of Florida.
Rathjen has also drawn significant outside support, including several thousand dollars from personal and professional networks in Texas and North Carolina. Hanson and Smoak each received smaller amounts from outside the county, largely from individual donors and, in Hanson’s case, a single PAC contribution.
The filings also show some overlap among donors. Susan Callahan of Green Cove Springs has contributed to both Skipper and Hanson, as have Lucas Wilhelm and Amber Freeman. Judith Chapple (sometimes listed with slight variations in spelling) has repeatedly given to Hanson and appears in filings for at least one other candidate.
The PAC known as Clay Conservatives has supported both Skipper and Hanson. These recurring names point to a relatively concentrated network of local and regional supporters who are backing multiple conservative-leaning candidates in the school board and county commission contests.
The current reports cover transactions through early 2025, and future filings are expected to show additional activity as the races develop.
Campaign finance data for Florida local races is publicly available through state and Clay County Supervisor of Elections offices.