Ryan Nicol
Democratic Rep. Cindy Polo will enter the General Election with a cash advantage over her Republican opponent in House District 103, attorney Tom Fabricio.
This year will likely see a change from last cycle, when Polo was outspent by a more than 4-to-1 margin. Despite that deficit in 2018, Polo still managed to win the open HD 103 seat by 6 percentage points.
Polo did avoid a primary challenge this time around, while Fabricio faced off against Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Nelson Rodriguez in the Aug. 18 GOP primary. Fabricio won that contest with 60% of the vote.
Fabricio was forced to spend nearly $70,000 in that effort while Polo mostly hoarded her cash ahead of the General Election. Polo holds nearly $52,000 in her war chest as of Aug. 21. Fabricio retains just $2,200.
Still, Polo hasn’t amassed her money lead simply due to Fabricio’s primary spending spree. Polo has also raised more money than Fabricio overall. She’s taken in nearly $83,000. Fabricio has raised just over $61,000 in outside cash and has added a $10,000 loan.
The candidates weren’t very active in the latest financial reporting period, covering Aug. 15-21. Fabricio added just over $1,000, while Polo raised less than $500.
Republicans are looking to take back the HD 103, which was vacated by Manny Diaz as he mounted a successful Senate bid in 2018.
HD 103 covers parts of Miami Lakes and Doral in Miami-Dade County and also extends into Miramar in Broward County. Candidates and political committees faced a Friday, Aug. 28 deadline to report all financial activity through Aug. 21.
