Ryan Nicol
Democratic candidate Maureen Porras collected more than $42,000 in her first two-week fundraising report of the General Election cycle.
That’s her best fundraising period since she entered the House District 105 race last November. Porras is competing against Republican candidate David Borrero, a Sweetwater City Commissioner, for the open HD 105 seat.
The latest reports cover Aug. 22-Sept. 4. Those are the first reports giving a look into the candidates’ fundraising prowess following the Aug. 18 Primary Election.
Porras, an immigration attorney, entered the General Election with a nearly $17,000 cash-on-hand lead over Borrero. The Porras campaign alone added another $34,000 from Aug. 22-Sept. 4. That haul was aided by a $25,000 donation from the Florida Democratic Party (FDP).
Her political committee, New Leadership for Florida, pulled in just under $7,900 from Aug. 22-28. The fundraising report for the following week is not yet posted to the Division of Elections website.
That total is still enough to top Borrero, who brought in just under $24,000 from Aug. 22-Sept. 4.
Both Porras and Borrero faced a competitive party primary. Porras defeated Javier Estevez with 64% of the vote. Borrero secured 41% of the vote in a three-way Republican primary.
Porras is retaining her cash lead, according to Division of Elections data. Porras holds more than $58,000 between her two accounts. Borrero is sitting on just under $24,000.
Neither candidate has begun dumping money into their General Election effort just yet. Porras spent just under $3,400 during the period. Most of that went toward consulting fees with Edge Communications and MDW Communications. Borrero spent around $1,800, mostly on canvassing and other minor campaign fees.
The winner of the Nov. 3 contest will replace Republican Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez who is pursuing a Senate seat. Rodriguez won that seat in 2018 by just 417 votes.
House District 105 spans parts of Miami-Dade, Broward and Collier counties. Candidates and political committees faced a Friday deadline to report all financial activity through Sept. 4.
