HD 120 candidate Rhonda Rebman Lopez crosses $100K raised in just two months

Republican candidate Rhonda Rebman Lopez added more than $40,000 in October, giving her more than $100,000 raised since entering the House District 120 contest in early September.

Lopez collected more than $60,000 in her initial month of fundraising. But she followed up that September haul with another strong month in October.

That’s thanks in part to $1,000 contributions from heavy-hitting lobbyists such as Ballard Partners and Ronald Book Consulting, as well as another $1,000 from Book’s law firm.

Lopez is one of five candidates vying to replace GOP state Rep. Holly Raschein, who is term-limited in 2020. Three of those candidates are Republicans.

Lopez last ran for office in 2018, competing in the race for House District 115. She lost the Republican primary battle to Vance Aloupis, who went on to claim victory in the general election.

But Lopez has made the biggest mark in fundraising for the HD 120 contest so far. She has more than $95,000 still on hand.

Islamorada Councilman and former Mayor Jim Mooney had his strongest fundraising month yet in October. The Islamorada Republican brought in more than $16,000 after raising less than $4,000 in his first two months as a candidate.

Republican attorney Alexandria Suarez also showed just over $3,700 raised in October. That gives her campaign nearly $30,000 in donations so far.

Suarez started out the 2020 cycle in the contest for Senate District 39. She swapped to the HD 120 race after Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez decided to run for SD 39.

Suarez has her own private law practice, focusing on civil litigation in family law, business law and some Medicare-related issues, among others. She also taught English at Glades Middle School for nine years. Suarez also has eight years of experience as a pharmaceutical sales consultant, a position she held with AstraZeneca.

The newest Republican entrant, former HD 120 candidate Jose Felix Peixoto, has not yet filed a fundraising report with the Division of Elections. He entered the race on Nov. 5, meaning he won’t be required to report any contributions until December.

The same goes for former Democratic candidate for Agriculture Commissioner Roy David Walker, who entered the contest on the Democratic side on Nov. 8.

HD 120 covers Monroe County as well as parts of southern Miami-Dade County. State political candidates and committees faced a Tuesday deadline for filing reports showing finance activity through Oct. 31.