Ryan Nicol
Democratic Rep. Darren Soto and Chris King, the 2018 Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, are chipping in to help Debbie Mucarsel-Powell hold her South Florida congressional seat.
King, a Winter Park-based businessman, donated $1,000 to Mucarsel-Powell late last week, according to new reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. The Sunshine Organization for Tremendous Opportunities (SOTO) PAC, an organization affiliated with Soto, added another $1,000.
The donations showed up as part of the “48-Hour Notice” window. Within 20 days of an election, all donations of $1,000 or more must be reported separately to the FEC. That requirement remains in effect until 48 hours before Election Day.
King is a successful entrepreneur who Andrew Gillum selected as his running-mate in the 2018 gubernatorial contest. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis narrowly won that contest.
The new donations will help Democrats hold what is likely the most competitive congressional seat in the state this cycle. Mucarsel-Powell is facing a challenge from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez, who is running as a Republican.
Both parties see this as a competitive seat. Election forecasters rate the race as a toss-up after Mucarsel-Powell won the seat in 2018 by 2 percentage points. Mucarsel-Powell said she expects her reelection bid to be “one of the toughest” in the country.
Mucarsel-Powell’s team has come through on the fundraising front. She has topped Giménez in every fundraising period since he entered the race in January. In the most recent quarter, Mucarsel-Powell added nearly $2.1 million as compared to $670,000 for Giménez.
The Democratic incumbent also received an assist from high-powered New York Attorney Bill Sussman, who donated $1,500 to Mucarsel-Powell. Sussman is an active political contributor.
As of Sept. 30, Mucarsel-Powell had more than $1 million banked. Giménez was sitting on around $640,000. That follows, however, a huge spending surge from Mucarsel-Powell. She spent more than $3.7 million from July 30 to Sept. 30. Giménez spent around $790,000.
Florida’s 26th Congressional District covers parts of Miami-Dade County as well as Monroe County.
