Spencer Fordin
The funding race for the District 1 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission was close all the way to the wire, but Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert III managed to narrowly out-raise Sybrina Fulton.
Gilbert raised $566,345, and Fulton came in right behind him at $531,215 in her first foray into electoral politics.
Voters will decide between two in Tuesday’s Primary Election.
Gilbert raised an average of $731 from 775 contributors, and he hauled in $35,125 over the final two weeks of the campaign. That total represented his best funding period since raising $44,130 from June 13 to June 26.
Fulton, after making up for a late start, matched him all the way. She brought in $41,291 in her final funding period, and she spent $67,689 over the corresponding span. Fulton outspent Gilbert, dropping $525,928 while Gilbert spent $486,447 and retains $79,898 in his campaign coffers.
The pair of candidates are running for the District 1 seat currently occupied by Barbara Jordan. Jordan, who is term limited, announced she would endorse Gilbert in July.
Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, has earned support from national figures like U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Corey Booker and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Fulton made two payments totaling $25,469 to Bergmann Zwerdling Direct for design and production services over the last two weeks.
There was a point in the race where Gilbert led by more than $300,000 in funding.
Fulton fought back by raising $159,388 between June 1 and June 12.
Gilbert, who served on the Miami Gardens City Council prior to running for Mayor for the first time, spent $113,213 in the final two weeks, which was by far his biggest spending period of the campaign.
Prior to this period, the most he had spent was $72,897 between June 27 and July 10.
He paid $45,020 to Aidem for a media buy on August 10 and $12,190 to Image Plus Graphics for printing on August 6.
