Ryan Nicol
Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is closing the second quarter with her highest fundraising total this cycle, as she pulled in around $835,000, according to her campaign.
Candidates and committees face a July 15 deadline to report all financial activity through June 30. Mucarsel-Powell’s full report is not yet available on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website.
Mucarsel-Powell’s second quarter number comes after she previously raised a cycle-best $740,000 during the first quarter of 2020. That was easily enough to top both other candidates in the contest — Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez and Omar Blanco, the former head of Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403.
“As the coronavirus attacks South Florida, Congresswoman Mucarsel-Powell is looking out for her community: putting money directly into families’ pockets, protecting small businesses, and requiring Medicare to cover the costs of COVID testing and treatment,” said Andrew Markoff, Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign manager.
“The grassroots energy powering our campaign reflects the Congresswoman’s tireless commitment to fight for her community and a complete lack of enthusiasm for her opponent who has allowed Miami-Dade County to become the new worldwide epicenter of COVID-19.”
Giménez and Blanco are battling for the Republican nomination in Florida’s 26th Congressional District and the right to take on Mucarsel-Powell in November. The incumbent Congresswoman is unopposed on the Democratic side.
Giménez appears to be the favorite. He’s a well-known figure in Miami-Dade, having served as the county Mayor for nearly eight years. Giménez also easily outraised Blanco in the opening quarter of 2020, the first quarter in which Giménez was officially a candidate.
The Mayor raised more than $415,000 as compared to Blanco’s $8,000. Blanco has raised about $130,000 since entering the race last August.
Yet even the Giménez haul trailed Mucarsel-Powell’s significantly. According to her team, the incumbent now has close to $2.8 million on hand.
Neither Giménez nor Blanco have filed their second quarter reports.
