Ryan Nicol
Republican Rep. Mike Caruso is back atop the House District 89 fundraising race, as he bested Democratic challenger Jim Bonfiglio in the latest reporting period.
Caruso added nearly $57,000 from Oct. 3-16. Bonfiglio brought in nearly $40,000 in outside cash during the same span between his campaign and his political committee, Putting Voters First.
Bonfiglio also added a $10,000 loan, but that still puts him short of Caruso’s haul.
The two have similar sums of cash still available for the final stretch of the campaign. Bonfiglio holds just over $35,000 per the latest numbers reported to the Florida Division of Elections. Caruso retains close to $32,000.
Both candidates surpassed six figures in terms of spending during the most recent two-week period. Caruso is looking to defend his seat after winning the open contest in 2018 against Bonfiglio. Caruso won that race by just 32 votes out of more than 78,000 cast.
Caruso’s newest fundraising report shows he spent more than $176,000 from Oct. 3-16. The vast majority of that money — $162,000 — went to Anthony Pedicini‘s firm Strategic Image Management. That money mostly covered advertising costs. A smaller chunk — $12,000 — went toward consulting.
Bonfiglio spent nearly $109,000 during the period, tapping into the large sums of cash he’s courted in recent weeks. More than $50,000 went to Doyle Strategies for advertising expenses. Bonfiglio also paid nearly $49,000 to Victory Political Mail for a mailer campaign.
Caruso is a well-funded incumbent, as he’s now added more than $350,000 overall in outside cash this cycle. Bonfiglio picked up his fundraising pace at the start of the General Election period, relying heavily on out-of-state donations. He’s raised a little over $300,000 between his campaign and PC, but hasn’t been shy in putting in his own cash as well. As of Oct. 16, Bonfiglio had put in more than $100,000 in loans to his campaign.
HD 89 runs up the coast of Palm Beach County and is home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Candidates and political committees faced a Friday deadline to report all financial activity through Oct. 16.
