Ryan Nicol
The race to replace Kate Edwards-Walpole in House District 98 is heating up as three Democratic candidates raised big money in April.
Leading the way was attorney Michael Gottlieb, who raised more than $33,000, all of which came from outside contributors. That brings his total money taken to more than $87,000. $50,000 of that came from Gottlieb’s own pockets in the form of an earlier loan.
Right behind Gottlieb was Elaine Geller, who raised nearly $32,000. Almost all of that came from a $30,000 loan from Geller herself.
Geller lives in Plantation and works for Amercanex International Exchange an electronic commodities exchange for cannabis. She previously ran in 2014 as a candidate in HD 99 but dropped out before Election Day.
Small business owner Andrew Dolberg was the third Democrat to haul in big bucks, as he raised more than $20,000. Dolberg loaned $10,000 of that to his campaign.
Dolberg founded his company, Champion Briefs, at the age of 19. Champion Briefs helps students with their public speaking skills. He recently brought in a string of endorsements from a wide range of politicians and activists.
The April fundraising totals leave Gottlieb ahead with more than $85,000 cash on hand. Dolberg is second with nearly $32,000 on hand, just ahead of Geller, who has just over $31,000 available.
Two other declared candidates, Democrat Stephen Korka and Republican Joseph Cruz, have not declared any money raised, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.
The HD 98 seat became open after Rep. Edwards-Walpole announced she would not run for re-election. The district leans heavily Democratic. Edwards-Walpole won in 2012 by nearly 25 percentage points and re-elected without opposition in both 2014 and 2016.
