Drew Wilson
Democrat Carlos Guillermo Smith has crossed the six-figure fundraising mark in his campaign for the open House District 49 seat.
Smith, the one-time Chief of Staff for former HD 49 Rep. Joe Saunders, raised $15,325 in May for a campaign total of $108,355. After expenditures, he entered June with just under $80,000 on hand.
Most of the May haul came from donors chipping in $100 or less, though Smith did pick up five maximum contributions. Among the $1,000 donors were beer distributors Florida Beer Wholesalers, City Beverages and Florida Distributing Company.
Campaign expenses hit $7,588 last month, with the bulk of the money heading to campaign staff and other individuals for voter outreach services.
Smith is the only Democrat running in HD 49, which is currently held by first-term Republican Rep. Rene Plasencia, who decided to shift into the more GOP-friendly HD 50 this election cycle.
The three other candidates running for the seat, Republicans Amber Mariano and Martin Collins and no-party candidate Shea Silverman, have not yet filed campaign finance reports for May, but none had managed to keep pace with Smith through April.
Mariano, a former intern of Plasencia’s, is in a distant second with about $6,000 in her campaign account at the end of April, followed by Silverman with about $350. Collins has not reported any contributions since filing on May 19.
