Ryan Nicol
Lawyer Tom Fabricio posted the biggest spending surge of the House District 103 contest so far, dropping more than $21,000 in the most recent one-week reporting period.
Those reports cover July 25-31. Fabricio spent $21,000 on a mail campaign with Front Line Strategies during that span. He’s competing against Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Nelson Rodriguez for the Republican nomination.
Fabricio’s most recent reports show the highest expenditure total for any candidate in the race this cycle. He and Rodriguez are battling for the right to face incumbent Democratic Rep. Cindy Polo in the general election.
Fabricio raised just $800 from July 25-31. Despite running in the red for the period, he still holds a cash lead over Rodriguez.
Fabricio has raised more than $54,000 in outside money and added $10,000 in self-loans. He has just under $20,000 still on hand as of July 31.
Rodriguez has raised nearly $34,000, but posted just $250 in contributions in his most recent reports. Rodriguez hasn’t spent any money since early July. That’s largely because he has only about $2,800 still on hand. That total will limit his ability to make a final push to voters ahead of the Aug. 18 primary.
HD 103 covers parts of Miami Lakes and Doral in Miami-Dade County and extends into Miramar in Broward County. Polo won the seat in 2018 53%-47% over then-Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Frank Mingo. That win came despite Polo largely trailing Mingo in the money contest.
Polo has flipped that trend this cycle so far, as both GOP candidates trail her in both overall money raised and cash on hand. Polo has raised nearly $74,000 and has around $49,000 available for the general election. She’s unopposed on the Democratic side, allowing her to hold on to most of her cash.
Candidates and political committees faced an Aug. 7 deadline to report all financial activity through July 31. They will submit their final pre-primary reports by Friday. Those reports will cover all activity through Thursday.
