Ryan Nicol
State Rep. Shevrin Jones once again topped opponents in fundraising for the Senate District 35 race.
The West Park Democrat brought in more than $16,000 during August.
Jones added over $11,000 to his campaign between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31. His political committee, Florida Strong Finish, tacked on another $5,000.
Jones, who was recently elected to lead the Broward legislative delegation, is term-limited in the House in 2020. That’s prompted him to pursue the SD 35 seat, which is being vacated by Sen. Oscar Braynon II.
Braynon also faces term limits in 2020.
And Jones will look to keep the money flowing in September. He recently announced a Sept. 25 fundraiser featuring former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.
A total of five candidates (including Jones) are competing for the Democratic nomination in SD 35.
Miami Gardens City Councilman Erhabor Ighodaro was second in August fundraising among the Democrats. Ighodaro raised more than $5,600 in August, following up a haul of nearly $3,800 in July.
Ighodaro topped the race in June fundraising, but Jones has since overtaken him for two straight months.
Following Ighodaro was Daphne Campbell, who pulled in less than $1,700 in August. Campbell is seeking a return to the Senate after being ousted by Jason Pizzo in the 2018 Democratic primary for her Senate District 38 seat.
Former Rep. Cynthia Stafford, who is also competing for the Democratic nod in SD 35, pulled in less than $1,300 in August.
But that was still enough to beat out former firefighter Wilbur Harbin, who has not reported any money raised since joining the race in June.
Serial candidate Josue Larose, the lone Republican running in a heavily Democratic district, listed $0 in contributions for the sixth straight month.
It’s unlikely he’ll put forward a serious campaign. Larose has been sanctioned for election fraud by the Florida Elections Commission after he lied about raising millions of dollars from made-up donors during a 2010 gubernatorial run.
State political candidates and committees faced a Tuesday deadline for filing reports showing finance activity through Aug. 31.
