Ryan Nicol
Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky is keeping up her advantage in House District 96, as she continues to outpace her opponents in money raised.
Hunschofsky added more than $12,000 in the most recent fundraising report covering June 13-26. She’s now raised nearly $57,000 since entering the race in late April and has added more than $10,000 in self-loans as well.
She retains nearly $60,000 on hand. That’s leaps and bounds ahead of her next-closest opponent, fellow Democrat Saima Farooqui. Farooqui has raised a little over $4,200 and has less than $2,100 still on hand.
Write-in candidate Muhammad Amin, who qualified just before the state’s June 12 deadline, has not reported raising any money through June 26. Amin’s entry means the Aug. 18 Democratic primary will be closed to registered Democrats only.
Candidates and political committees faced a Friday, July 3 deadline to report all financial activity through June 26.
The three candidates are seeking to replace the late Rep. Kristin Jacobs, who passed away in April after a years-long battle with cancer.
The district leans left, which explains why no Republicans have filed to run. Hunschofsky, however, has been the clear favorite among Democratic officials.
In addition to courting the lion’s share of the money in the race, endorsements have also poured in Hunschofsky’s way. She’s earned support from Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, several members of the Senate and House and a political action committee belonging to former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
In 2016, Hunschofsky ran to replace then-Parkland Mayor Michael Udine after he mounted a run for the Broward County Commission. She served out the final two years of Udine’s term before she was reelected unopposed in 2018.
That year, Hunschofsky also oversaw one of the worst mass shootings in the state’s history, when 17 people were killed in an attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
HD 96 spans Parkland, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs and Margate.
