Spencer Fordin
Marlon Hill closed out July with another strong fundraising period in his bid to win the District 9 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission, but he’ll have to deal with another well-funded rival at the polls.
Hill, a partner at the law firm Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, raised $427,690 in total over his campaign, and he’s spent $370,959. That leaves $56,731 in cash on hand. Hill raised $18,552 in the period between July 25 and 31, and he’s received contributions from 2,984 donors for an average of $143 per donor.
Hill is one of five candidates vying to replace incumbent Dennis Moss, who is subject to term limits.
And despite Hill’s robust fundraising, Rep. Kionne McGhee remains in relatively strong position.
McGhee has raised $213,788 and spent $199,240, leaving $14,548. But he also has a political action committee, Words Matter, that has raised $368,830 and spent $355,777 over the life of the campaign.
McGhee, who has been endorsed by AFSCME Florida, SEIU Florida and the South Florida AFL-CIO, has averaged $443 from 483 donors, and he raised $6,800 in the latest funding period.
Words Matter has received an average of $6,471 per donor from 57 contributors, including an $80,000 contribution from Jim Bonfiglio, a Democratic candidate for Florida House District 89. McGhee represents Florida House District 117, and he’s currently the Minority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives.
Homestead Councilman Elvis Maldonado has raised $113,860 and spent $100,783, leaving $13,077 on hand. He’s averaged $690 per donor from 165 contributors, and he raised $6,000 in the latest filing period.
South Bay Community Council member Johnny Farias has raised $84,057 and spent $83,857 on his campaign.
That leaves just $200 to spend. Farias raised $600 via a loan from himself in the latest filing period.
Pastor Mark Coats, the final candidate in the district, has raised $62,800 from 148 donors for an average of $424 per donor. Coats has also spent $57,045 on the campaign, leaving $5,755 on hand.
There will be one more filing period before the election is decided on Aug. 18.
