Drew Wilson
Miami Republican Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla added more than $80,000 to his campaign account between June 25 and July 8 and now holds a more than 3-to-1 advantage over Miami Democratic Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez in the Senate District 37 race.
Diaz de la Portilla’s $84,625 haul came in across 111 contributions and was offset by just $3,794 in expenditures for an on-hand total of about $466,000.
The second-term senator also has more than $216,000 in his political committee, “Foundation for Conservative Values,” though the PAC has not posted any new contributions since the reporting period covering June 1 through June 24.
More than half of Diaz de la Portilla’s contributions were for the maximum donation of $1,000, though very few came from within the newly redrawn District 37. The bulk of the money came from attorneys and law firms listing addresses in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.
Rodriguez, the only Democrat in the race, raised $5,010 and spent just $450 during the two-week period for an on-hand total of about $195,000 on July 8.
SD 37, which covers the northernmost stretch of the Miami-Dade coastline, is shaping up to be one of the more competitive races in the Senate, with both parties targeting the seat.
According to district statistics, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats in SD 37, though President Barack Obama won re-election in the district by 7 points. During the same cycle, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson won re-election by 13 points.
