Ryan Nicol
Rep. Tina Polsky pulled in more than $11,000 in the month of January according to the latest reports filed with the Division of Elections. That marks the last bit of fundraising she’ll be able to do until the end of the 2020 Session in early March.
Incumbent lawmakers are barred from raising money while the Legislature is in Session. The 2020 Session began Jan. 14, meaning Polsky pulled in that January money in just under half a month.
Still, it marked her second highest monthly fundraising total of the cycle, behind only her Dec. 2019 numbers. She added more than $12,000 that month.
The bump in Polsky’s fundraising push coincides with a new challenger entering the contest.
Silmo Moura, a Boca Raton Republican with nearly two decades experience as a real estate agent, filed for the House District 81 race in late November. Moura currently works with United Realty Group.
Polsky picked up her fundraising pace in the ensuing two months, adding more than $23,000. She had brought in less than $40,000 in the entire 2020 cycle prior to December. She has more than $45,000 in cash on hand for this cycle.
Polsky took over the Palm Beach County seat from Rep. Joe Abruzzo after defeating Boca Raton Democrat Mindy Koch in the 2018 primary. She was unopposed in the general election.
That’s because the district leans heavily Democratic. The Democratic candidate in HD 81 has been unopposed in the general for three straight cycles now. The last Republican to launch a challenge for the seat, James O’Hara, lost by nearly 30 percentage points in 2012.
That will make it tough for Moura to mount a serious challenge. Indeed, he’s failed to show any outside contributions since joining the race, though his January fundraising numbers have not yet been posted on the Division of Elections website.
Candidates faced a Monday deadline to report all financial activity through Jan. 31.
HD 81 covers parts of Palm Beach County near Lake Okeechobee including Pahokee and Belle Glade.
