Ryan Nicol
Republican candidate Rhonda Rebman Lopez appears to be leading the House District 120 field in fundraising for the third straight month after raking in more than $30,000 in November.
That’s according to the latest reports filed with the Florida Division of Elections.
Lopez is one of four Republicans seeking the seat currently held by GOP state Rep. Holly Raschein. Raschein is term-limited in 2020, making the race an open one.
Former Agriculture Commissioner candidate Roy David Walker is also running in the race as a Democrat.
Lopez entered the race in September and started off strong in the money game, adding more than $60,000 in her first month. Through November, she’s raised over $131,000, more than triple her closest competitor.
That competitor is Islamorada Councilman and former Mayor Jim Mooney. Mooney, also running as a Republican, pulled in more than $18,000 in November.
He’s added more than $38,000 since entering the race in August, with more than $35,000 still on hand. Lopez, meanwhile, has more than $125,000 cash available going forward.
Attorney Alexandria Suarez secured nearly $4,400 in November, putting her behind Lopez and Mooney among Republican candidates. She maintains more than $32,000 in available cash.
A fourth Republican — former HD 120 candidate Jose Felix Peixoto — does not yet have his November numbers available on the Division of Elections website.
HD 120 covers Monroe County as well as parts of southern Miami-Dade County, and leans Republican. In 2016, Raschein secured a convincing win, defeating her Democratic opponent by nearly 15 percentage points.
But that margin closed in 2018, with Raschein winning by just over 6 percentage points.
With the contest open in 2020, Democrats may see a path to closing that gap and flipping the seat.
That may need to start with a better showing in the money race from Walker, the lone Democrat to enter the race so far. After announcing his candidacy in early November, Walker reported $0 in outside contributions for the remainder of the month.
Candidates and political committees faced a Tuesday deadline to report fundraising activity through Nov. 30.
