HD 93 incumbent Chip LaMarca nets nearly $37K for best fundraising period of the cycle

Republican Rep. Chip LaMarca added another $36,700 to his reelection bid for House District 93. That’s easily LaMarca’s best fundraising period of the 2019-20 cycle.

LaMarca added nearly $36,000 in Feb. 2019 to mark his second-highest total in any fundraising period so far. That period covered the entire month of February, however. The most recent reports span just one week, from July 18-24.

The incumbent has now crossed the $200,000 mark, raising more than $206,000 since he won the HD 93 seat in 2018.

This time around, LaMarca will face off against Democratic candidate Linda Thompson Gonzalez in the general election. Both candidates are unopposed in their respective primaries.

LaMarca has easily led Thompson Gonzalez in outside cash, as the challenger raised just over $34,000 in total. She’s also poured in $70,000 of her own money into the race, but has yet to spend any of that money.

Thompson Gonzalez spent less than $30,000 total, leaving her with around $75,000 available. Still, LaMarca remains on top in the cash on hand metric. His campaign is sitting on around $170,000.

LaMarca has attracted the big bucks, netting maxed-out $1,000 donations from the likes of St. James Insurance Group, MGM General Contracting, and several other firms and donors in the most recent period.

LaMarca also beat Thompson Gonzalez in smaller donations as well, netting 16 contributions of $250 and below. Thompson Gonzalez courted just three such donations, as she raised just over $1,100 in the period spanning July 18-24.

Overall, Thompson Gonzalez has a narrow lead in smaller donations through the duration of the contest. She’s collected 174 donations under $250 overall, as compared to LaMarca’s 166. Limit those to small dollar donations from Floridians, however, and LaMarca leads in that regard. He’s courted 158 such donations, while Thompson Gonzalez has attracted 147.

Such a lead is somewhat rare for Republican incumbents, who tend to rely on big-money donors. LaMarca has courted his fair share of PAC money, but has been doing just as well as Thompson Gonzalez on the small-donor front.

The district covers parts of Broward County including Lighthouse Point and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. LaMarca won the open seat in 2018 by seven points over his Democratic opponent Emma Collum.

Candidates and political committees faced a Friday, July 24 deadline to report all financial activity through July 31.