Ryan Nicol
Democratic challenger Jim Bonfiglio added another $75,000 to his campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Mike Caruso in House District 89.
Bonfiglio added $20,000 of his own money as part of that $75,000 total. The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) put in $25,000 as well. Flippable — an organization looking to help Democrats across the country gain control of red districts — also added $5,000 to Bonfiglio’s political committee, Putting Voters First.
The final $25,600 came from outside donations during the latest reporting period, spanning Aug. 22-Sept. 4. That number alone would have topped Caruso’s $6,400 during the same span.
The latest fundraising numbers represent a turnaround for Bonfiglio, who has trailed Caruso in fundraising this cycle. Caruso entered the General Election with a $100,000 cash-on-hand advantage over Bonfiglio.
Bonfiglio’s most recent influx has now reduced that gap to just over $4,000.
Caruso spent more than $28,000 during the period, mostly on canvassing and campaign signs. Caruso now holds $113,000 as compared to $109,000 for Bonfiglio.
The Democratic challenger followed in the footsteps of his cohorts in South Florida, who courted big bucks from donors outside the state.
Just 41 of 452 contributions to Bonfiglio’s campaign — that’s just 9% — came from Florida. That analysis excludes his loan, as well as the surge in dollars from Flippable and the FDP.
Doing the same analysis for dollars raised, just under $4,000 of the nearly $26,000 — or 16% — came from Florida.
Bonfiglio and Caruso are headed for a rematch after Caruso won the 2018 contest by just 32 votes out of more than 78,000 cast.
The district runs up the coast of Palm Beach County and is home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. HD 89 was also one of only six districts in Florida to flip from voting for Mitt Romney in 2012 to supporting Hillary Clinton in 2016, according to an analysis by MCI Maps.
Candidates and political committees faced a Friday deadline to report all financial activity through Sept. 4.
