Ryan Nicol
Democratic candidate Donna Shalala raked in the dough during the third quarter, hauling in more than $1 million in her bid for Florida’s 27th Congressional District. That puts her well ahead of her Republican opponent, Maria Elvira Salazar, who earned just over $560,000.
The latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission cover the period of July 1 to Sept. 30.
Shalala maintains a lead in cash on hand as well. The Democrat has nearly $440,000 available while Salazar is sitting on just over $380,000.
Projections suggest the contest between Shalala and Salazar is going to a nail-biter. Recent polls have disagreed on who’s ahead in the race. Most analysts accept the contest will be close in November, though FiveThirtyEight sees the 27th Congressional District as a “likely Democratic” seat.
The battle has also earned a lot of attention from outside groups, with several Republican-affiliated organizations releasing ads attempting to knock down Shalala.
The Democrat’s big third-quarter haul should help beat back that outside spending, and perhaps strengthen her position in the contest overall. The New York Times is currently in the process of polling CD 27 voters, which should shed some more light on the state of the race.
3 comments
Jacqueline Díaz
October 18, 2018 at 3:29 pm
District 27 in Miami reflects the demdisconnect syndrome which plagues the Democrats. No clear message. Tired leadership. Patronizing campaigns. No effective outreach to regular people. What in Miami is the fanatical anti-Castro stance — a parallel to born-again Christian fanaticism — has bulldozed Shalala. An emotionally damaged generation of Cuban-Americans who are loyal voters is an important ally for Sha to wow. Miami is the new poster child of how telegenic candidates like Trump and Salazar are successful by campaigning to win the hearts, fears and imagination — however mistaken — of regular people. Emotion, and how you stir the beast, is the inflection point where stats lose meaning and the phenomenon of fake news gains ground. What is important to people has to at least seem somewhat important to a candidate running for office. Bottom line: Candidates win by building a relationship with the hearts of local constituents. What Miami wld have needed was a Shalala that fully comprehended how to drive the message by openly exposing Salazar’s willingness to dude up with Trump’s potential collusion with Russia. The effort would have resonated for Cuban-Americans. Sha needed a giant Latin parade on 8th. Sha needed to kiss Hispanic children and explain the legacy of positive climate change and the peril seniors face losing benefits under Republican leadership. Sha needed to insist she knew — and Sha can talk — why free quality education is vital for people to achieve social mobility and earn financial freedom. Sha needed the t-shirt — yes, descend to that level — of Sa-LIE-zar. Sha needed a lot more than thinking progressive Jews, wasps and LGBTQs in Coral Gables would be enough to vote her in. These groups are not enough to get u elected in Miami. Salazar knows this. Cubans are loyal voters. Unfortunately, Salazar also knows that by plugging into the Castro ordeal and raw Cuban emotions surrounding political exile, you can manipulate and certainly exploit Cuban-Americans as a minority group. This is where Salazar wins. Wins big. I called Democrats. I called Republicans. I wrote texts. I looked and looked for Sha’s headquarters telephone numbers. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. No number to call? Hell, I heard I don’t know how many people on the phone when I called Salazar’s headquarters. What does Sha think? That senior Cuban ladies have easy access or wld know how to e-mail her office with their “concerns?” Sha deserves to lose. Salazar must be laughing her a** off. I will be shocked if Sha wins. Too bad Salazar is not a progressive. We need a Cuban-American progressive wave. I am Cuban-American. My father lost his life in 1964 fighting Fidel Castro. My loss does not mean I willingly accept the malignant presidency of Donald Trump. That said, any Republican who sides with Trump is a disgrace to this nation. Nonetheless, I am outraged a democrat like Shalala has likely wasted a golden opportunity to flip the seat blue.
Markito
October 27, 2018 at 8:29 am
Jaqueline, siento lo de tu padre – I mean that with all my heart. I was moved by your comment and am going to send this to her twitter account. Maybe she or a campaign person may see it…
markito
October 27, 2018 at 8:28 am
Jaqueline, siento lo de tu padre – I mean that with all my heart. I was moved by your comment and am going to send this to her twitter account. Maybe she or a campaign person may see it…
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