Chad Klitzman drops $40K on campaign mail for Broward SOE contest

Broward County Supervisor of Elections candidate Chad Klitzman put nearly $40,000 toward a mailer campaign as the Aug. 18 primary draws closer.

Klitzman is part of a six-person field seeking the Democratic nomination. The winner of that contest will be favored in the November general election, as Broward leans Democratic.

Klitzman paid $39,728 to Victory Political Mail on July 21. Add up a few other minor expenses, and his campaign burned through more than $40,000 from July 18-24.

Also competing for the Democratic nomination are Ruth Carter-Lynch, Mitch Ceasar, Jennifer Gottlieb, Timothy Lonergan and Joe Scott. Catherine Seei McBreen has also qualified as a Republican, as have a pair of write-in candidates — Adam Brass and Ellen Brodsky.

Klitzman has secured some major endorsements, earning support from former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Broward County School Board Member Lori Alhadeff, who lost her daughter in the 2018 Parkland shooting.

Klitzman has raised the second-most cash overall. He’s added more than $90,000 in outside contributions as well as a $50,000 loan.

He trails only Ceasar. Ceasar, a former Broward Democratic Party Chair, has raised nearly $124,000 in outside cash and has also added a $50,000 loan to his campaign.

Ceasar spent $45,000 on a mail campaign in late June. Though the Aug. 18 primary is nearing, he’s spent less than $20,000 since, mostly on consulting and communications expenses.

Overall, Klitzman leads in cash on hand with $55,000. Ceasar retains less than $19,000.

Gottlieb, a former Broward County School Board Member who was a late entrant into the race, has collected nearly $48,000 in outside cash in less than two months. She’s also added $40,000 of her own money into her bid.

In mid-July, Gottlieb dropped $22,000 on a direct mail campaign and another $10,000 on digital advertising. Her team spent $3,000 on texting services as well. She didn’t spend much in the most recent reports, however, spending just $85 from July 18-24. Gottlieb has more than $34,000 still on hand, placing second to Klitzman.

Scott poured in $60,000 of his own money on top of nearly $18,000 in outside donations. His last major expenses came in late June when Scott spent $7,000 on campaign signs. He has just under $27,000 available for the final weeks of the campaign.

Carter-Lynch has added $41,000 overall, though just $19,000 came from outside contributions. She has $14,000 still on hand. Lonergan has raised nearly $13,000 in outside cash and has added another $37,000 in loans. He’s spent most of that already and has around $7,000 remaining.

McBreen, the lone Republican, has been nearly entirely self-funded. She’s added more than $31,000 in self-loans on top of nearly $3,000 in outside donations. She holds around $17,000 in cash on hand ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.