Republican candidate for attorney general, Ashley Moody, picked up the endorsement of state Senate President Joe Negron Tuesday morning. Moody, a former judge in Hillsborough County is running to succeed Pam Bondi, who has served as attorney general since 2011 and is being forced to leave due to term limits. “The next Attorney General of Florida should possess a keen legal mind, understand the rich history of Florida and protect the rights of all citizens of our State,” Negron said in a written statement released by the Moody campaign. “The best predictor of future success is past performance. Ashley Moody has excelled as a commercial litigator in private practice, a federal prosecutor and a state circuit court judge.” The endorsement is just the latest in a series for Moody. Bondi has already given Moody her support, as have 37 Republican sheriffs from across the state. In accepting Negron’s endorsement, Moody responded by saying that as the only candidate in the attorney general’s race having served as a prosecutor and judge, she would “continue to uphold the law by protecting the constitution and prosecuting criminals for a stronger, safer Florida on day one.” Moody is one of four Republicans running for the nomination for attorney general in August. She faces Jacksonville Rep. Jay Fant, Dover Rep. Ross Spano and Pensacola Rep. Frank White in the primary. There are two Democrats in the race — state Rep. Sean Shaw of Tampa and Central Florida attorney Ryan Torrens. Moody, a native of Plant City who now lives in Tampa, received her law degree from Stetson University. After working as a commercial litigator, she went on to become a federal prosecutor. She was elected circuit judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County in 2006 at the age of 31, making her the youngest judge in Florida.

Senate President Joe Negron waded into the Republican Primary for Attorney General Tuesday, announcing his support for former circuit court judge Ashley Moody. “The next Attorney General of Florida should possess a keen legal mind, understand the rich history of Florida and protect the rights of all citizens of our State,” the Stuart Republican said in a press release. “The best predictor of future success is past performance. Ashley Moody has excelled as a commercial litigator in private practice, a federal prosecutor and a state circuit court judge. “I am enthusiastically endorsing Ashley Moody because I believe she has the background, experience and temperament to be an exceptional Attorney General.” The Negron nod is another arrow in Moody’s quiver as she competes against state Reps. Jay Fant and Frank White to be the GOP nominee in the race to replace term-limited AG Pam Bondi. The Hillsborough County native has already landed support from more than half of Florida’s sheriffs,  11 state attorneys and Bondi, who is a longtime friend. Moody thanked Negron for the endorsement, adding that as the only candidate in the attorney general’s race having served as a prosecutor and judge, she would “continue to uphold the law by protecting the constitution and prosecuting criminals for a stronger, safer Florida on day one.” In addition to the broad support among Republican elected officials, Moody has had plenty of success on the fundraising trail. Through the end of March, she had more than $1.5 million on hand. White leads, however, with about $2 million banked for his campaign, including $1.5 million from himself, while Fant is in the No. 3 spot with about $863,000, including a $750,000 loan.

Former Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court Judge and Attorney General candidate Ashley Moody finished March with more than $1.5 million on hand between her campaign account and political committee. “This unprecedented support of Floridians, both in personal endorsements and financial contributions, is a testament to the hard work of our campaign team and volunteers,” said Moody. “We have crisscrossed the state sharing our conservative message of enforcing the rule of law for a stronger, safer Florida and it is truly resonating with voters.” Moody added $102,025 last month — $79,525 through her campaign and $22,500 through her committee, Friends of Ashley Moody. Spending came in at about $42,000, leaving her with more than $1.54 million in the bank at the end of the month. The committee report included four $5,000 checks, one each from Integrated Employer Resources, Belleair retiree Pamela Muma, Coral Gables attorney Gonzalo Dorta and Floridian’s United for Our Children’s Future, a political committee chaired by Ryan Tyson. The campaign haul came in through 155 contributions, including eight for the statewide campaign maximum of $3,000. The campaign also received $31,338 worth of “in-kind” contributions, all but $1,475 of which came from the Republican Party of Florida. Services included consulting and staffing. Moody, a Plant City native, is one of four Republicans running to replace termed-out Attorney General Pam Bondi in the fall. She faces Jacksonville Rep. Jay Fant, Dover Rep. Ross Spano and Pensacola Rep. Frank White in the primary. Since entering the race, she’s locked in support from more than half of Florida’s sheriffs and 11 state attorneys as well as Bondi, who is a lifelong friend of Moody. Though she trails White in cash on hand, her campaign routinely points out that Moody is the fundraising leader in the Cabinet race due to the majority of White’s money coming from a $1.5 million self-contribution. Fant also pushed his campaign past the $1 million mark by way of a $750,000 loan. Tampa Rep. Sean Shaw and Odessa attorney Ryan Torrens are running in the Democratic Primary. The primary election will be held Aug. 28. The general election will be held Nov. 6.