Mary Barzee Flores touts $300K in Q3, Jose Javier Rodriguez close behind

Two of the major Democrats from the expansive field vying to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in Florida’s 27th Congressional District said they were prepped to release big-time hauls in their third quarter campaign finance reports.

Mary Barzee Flores said Thursday morning her campaign would report about $300,000 raised during the July through September reporting period, while state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez followed in later in the day touting $280,000.

Both announcements come a day after Miami Beach state Rep. David Richardson said he raised $500,000 for the quarter and would show about $441,000 on hand when the final report is turned in.

But half of Richardson’s money came in through loans, and neither Flores nor Rodriguez indicated they dug into their own pockets Thursday.

Flores, a former circuit court judge, entered the race about five weeks into the reporting period, though her campaign said she was able to connect with “well over 500 individual donors,” more than two thirds of whom hail from with district’s borders in Miami-Dade.

Flores’ campaign also touted the 300-plus small-dollar donors who pitched in, and noted that a third of her contributors were women and that one in ten people who made the donor roll decided to chip in more than once.

“This outpouring of support shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows Mary,” said campaign manager Sam Miller. “She’s lived, worked and served in this community her whole life and has a deep well of respect and support as a result. Donors know that Mary will fight for the values of Miami in Congress and have reached in deep to make sure she has the resources to get there.”

Rodriguez’ campaign said their report will show quite a few more names than Flores’ – 1,500 – and will include 1,438 donations of $200 or less, averaging the tally to about $170 per contribution in Q3. Rodriguez said the “immense support” came from “a diverse coalition of local residents who are sick and tired of the political games played in Washington, D.C.”

“Our community’s message is clear; the 27th congressional district is ready to elect a progressive champion with a record of getting things done for South Florida,” he said.

Flores, Rodriguez and Richardson are the top-three contenders for the Democratic nomination in the South Florida seat, and are running in the primary alongside Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Miami DEC member Michael Hepburn and Mark Anthony Person.

Early on, 2016 Democratic nominee Scott Fuhrman mulled giving the district another go, deciding instead to throw his support behind Richardson, calling him “the kind of Democratic standard-bearer we need in this race right now.”

CD 27 became anyone’s game after Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen announced she would not seek re-election in 2018, which led to a wave of candidate filings.

Republicans in the race include Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, former Miami-Dade mayoral candidate and school board member Raquel Regalado and Maria Peiro.