Ryan Nicol
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez raised more than $415,000 in his first quarter as a candidate in Florida’s 26th Congressional District, a new finance report shows.
Giménez’ haul puts him well ahead of his Republican rivals, who posted paltry sums in the first quarter of 2020. But Giménez fell more than $300,000 short of incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
Mucarsel-Powell raised more than $740,000 in Q1, her strongest quarter of the election cycle.
Both Mucarsel-Powell and Giménez have put fundraising on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, as many other campaigns have done, making it unclear whether their momentum will continue in the April-through-June quarter.
Giménez joined the race in January, months after a pair of Republican candidates had already filed.
Irina Vilariño, a restaurateur, and Omar Blanco, the former head of Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403, have struggled to raise money in recent months. Vilariño pulled in just over $10,000 in Q1. Blanco raised about $8,000.
That follows a trend seen in the final quarter of 2019, when Giménez candidacy was rumored but unofficial.
Vilariño brought in just over $100,000 during the third quarter of 2019. In the fourth quarter, contributions fell to $62,000.
The dip was worse for Blanco. He added more than $102,000 in Q3 and followed up with $16,000 in Q4.
Overall, Vilariño has raised about $435,000 and has $340,000 on hand. Blanco has raised about $130,000 and has $59,000 on hand.
Mucarsel-Powell, meanwhile, has amassed more than $2.9 million and has more than $2.2 million in the bank. In 2018, Mucarsel-Powell defeated former Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo to flip the district.
