Ryan Nicol
Republican candidate Alex Rizo has a more than $30,000 advantage over his Democratic opponent as he seeks to succeed House Speaker José Oliva in House District 110.
Rizo is battling Annette Collazo in the contest. Both candidates were unopposed in their respective primaries.
As of Aug. 21, Rizo’s campaign holds more than $51,000. That’s according to the latest fundraising reports filed with the Division of Elections (DOE). Rizo has raised nearly $83,000 total, including $5,000 from Aug. 14-21.
Collazo has collected nearly $36,000 overall in outside cash and has put in just over $3,000 in loans as well. Collazo’s newly-created political committee, Teachers to Tallahassee, has not yet started raising money. She has nearly $20,000 on hand as of Aug. 21. That’s about 40% of Rizo’s total.
Collazo joined the race three months after Rizo. That early period gave Rizo a huge head start, as he raised more than $57,000 in his first two months as a candidate alone.
Rizo’s fundraising pace has largely slowed down since. He and Collazo have run almost even in fundraising since June. Whether that foretells a tight money margin in the General Election remains to be seen.
Collazo is a teacher who attended Florida International University for undergrad, earning an economics degree. She’s also done some community organizing work aimed at increasing voter turnout in parts of Miami-Dade County.
Rizo is also a former teacher who served as an administrator in the Miami-Dade Public Schools system. He co-founded the Hialeah-Miami Lakes Republican Club.
Both candidates recently touted endorsements in the contest. The South Florida Council of Fire Fighters (SFCFF) backed Collazo. That organization endorses members of both political parties.
The LIBRE Initiative Action is backing Rizo. That organization is a pro-Hispanic interest group backed by Americans for Prosperity Action, part of the Koch network.
HD 110 has a 5.5-percentage point advantage for Republicans in terms of voter registration. That’s according to the latest DOE book closing reports. Oliva was reelected unopposed in 2018 and defended his seat in 2016 by 10 percentage points.
The district covers parts of Miami-Dade County including Miami Lakes and Hialeah. Candidates and political committees faced a Friday deadline to report all financial activity through Aug. 21.
