Ryan Nicol
Republican candidate Maria Elvira Salazar collected nearly $365,000 to close out 2019 according to the latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Salazar is competing in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, a seat currently held by freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala.
The Republican challenger made a mark during the third quarter of 2019, topping Shalala in fundraising. Salazar brought in $454,000 in outside money and added a $50,000 loan to her campaign.
Excluding the loan, Salazar topped Shalala by about $140,000, as the incumbent raised $314,000.
Shalala managed to flip the script to wrap 2019, however. Shalala’s campaign announced last week it had pulled in $600,000 during the fourth quarter. That beats out Salazar by nearly $240,000.
Salazar’s slowdown is even more significant given that she earned her impressive third quarter numbers in just two months.
Salazar filed her candidacy in August, one month after the third quarter fundraising period began. But with a full three months to raise money in the final quarter of 2019, Salazar could not repeat her feat and outraise the incumbent.
Included in Salazar’s fourth quarter numbers is another $50,000 self-loan to the campaign. That reporting period covers financial activity from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.
Salazar closes the year with nearly $870,000 added to her campaign as she seeks the Republican nomination in CD 27. She’ll enter 2020 with nearly $717,000 remaining. The Shalala campaign says it has more than $1.2 million in the bank.
Salazar is competing for the GOP nod against Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right self-labeled “Western chauvinist” group the Proud Boys. Tarrio entered the contest in November and has not yet filed any fundraising reports with the FEC.
Should Salazar be successful in the primary come August, she would secure a general election rematch against Shalala. The two faced off in 2018 for the open CD 27 seat after GOP U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen retired.
Shalala defeated Salazar by 6 points in 2018. This time around she’ll be aided by the inherent advantage that comes with incumbency.
Federal candidates face a Jan. 31 deadline to report all fundraising activity through the end of 2019.
