Ryan Nicol
Hillary Cassel is continuing to grow her cash lead in the House District 99 contest, raising close to $30,000 in May.
Cassel, a lawyer, is running to succeed House Democratic Co-Leader Evan Jenne, who is barred from running in 2022 because of term limits.
Cassel collected more than $7,300 through her campaign account in May. But she also raised more than $22,000 via her political committee, Friends of Hillary Cassel.
That PC had only raised $500 from its launch in February through the end of April. But Cassel’s team courted the bulk of her May cash via the PC. Nearly 80% of the money raised by the PC came from lawyers or law firms.
Jeremy Katzman, an administrator at Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division, is competing with Cassel for the Democratic nomination in HD 99. His campaign raised just over $2,700 in May. That includes a $100 donation from David Geller, Chief of Staff to Broward County Mayor Steve Geller.
Katzman has raised nearly $43,000 in outside cash since entering the race in December. He’s also pitched in a $5,000 loan and still holds more than $43,000 after expenses.
That puts him well behind Cassel in terms of available cash. Cassel has added nearly $152,000 in outside cash between her campaign and PC accounts. She’s also loaned her campaign $50,000. She has just under $180,000 in cash on hand as of May 31.
Cassel jumped out to a money advantage, raising more than $100,000 in a month after joining the race in March. Cassel and her husband, Michael, co-founded Cassel & Cassel, P.A. She now focuses on property damage lawsuits, representing individuals seeking insurance payouts after dealing with a fire, storm damage or other catastrophic events.
Jenne’s district covers parts of Broward County including Southwest Ranches, Cooper City, Dania Beach and Davie. The district leans heavily Democratic. Jenne was elected to four straight terms, starting in 2014, without facing an opponent once.
Candidates and political committees faced a Thursday deadline to report all financial activity through May 31.
