Ryan Nicol
Democratic candidate Hillary Cassel raised nearly $12,000 in August, just barely edging out Primary opponent Jeremy Katzman in fundraising for the month.
Katzman added a little over $11,800 during August, putting him less than $200 shy of Cassel’s total. Cassel has largely dominated the fundraising game in the House District 99 contest. But last month, Katzman posted his best fundraising totals since January, helping him close the gap between him and Cassel.
Barry Faske, the third and final candidate competing in the HD 99 Democratic Primary, added just $2,000 in August.
Though Katzman was nearly even with Cassel in August fundraising, Cassel maintains a hefty cash-on-hand advantage. As of Aug. 31, she holds nearly $194,000 between her campaign account and her political committee, Friends of Hillary Cassel. Katzman is sitting on just under $65,000, while Faske retains just under $5,000.
Cassel is a lawyer who co-founded Cassel & Cassel, P.A. with her husband, Michael. In August, Cassel relied mostly on donations of $500 or less. She did court a few larger donations from influential lobbyist Ron Book. He gave a $1,000 personal donation plus another $1,000 through his law firm. Book added another $500 through his consulting firm.
Cassel raised her full total through her campaign account in August. Her PC recorded no donations or expenditures.
Cassel’s campaign account did spend just over $5,300 for the month, mostly on consulting costs. The biggest chunk of cash — $2,000 — was paid to Johnson Strategies.
Katzman, an administrator at Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division, also reported just a handful of $1,000 donations in August. He spent less than $400 during the month, however, mostly on processing fees.
Faske is a member of the Florida Green Building Coalition’s board of directors. He’s the newest entrant into the race, but has failed to make much of a fundraising dent so far. Cassel has also touted a slate of endorsements from elected lawmakers as she seeks the HD 99 seat.
House Democratic Co-Leader Evan Jenne currently represents HD 99. He’s barred from running for the seat again in 2022 due to term limits.
HD 99 covers portions of Broward County including Southwest Ranches, Cooper City, Dania Beach and Davie. Candidates and political committees faced a Friday deadline to report all financial activity through Aug. 31.
