Anne Geggis
Katherine Waldron is leading a pack of contenders in fundraising for the House District 93 race.
The Port of Palm Beach Commissioner in March raised the most money of any candidate in the contest. Candidates are hoping to take the seat that Democratic Rep. Matt Willhite is vacating.
The district contains parts of the old House District 86 that Willhite represents. He is leaving to pursue a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission instead of going for a fourth term.
The district also is made up of parts of unincorporated Palm Beach County, the village of Wellington and portions of Greenacres and western Boynton Beach.
Waldron brought in $1,050 from donors in March. She also loaned her campaign $20,000 last month. That brings the total Waldron has loaned her campaign to $55,000.
Totaling it all, she has $66,294 to spend in a race that’s shaping up to be a four-way Democratic Primary. The winner of that contest will then face off against a Republican, Dr. Saulis Banionis.
None of Waldron’s contributors in March donated more than $250.
Waldron’s campaign spent $1,000 with Cornerstone Solutions on fundraising services. She also spent $200 on an event ticket with the Palm Beach Civil Association, but the money was refunded. So, her total expenditures for March came to about $800.
Waldron, who also works in sales and business, received the backing of Ruth’s List Florida. It’s an organization that endorses female politicians who support abortion rights. She’s been on the Port of Palm Beach Commission for two terms.
Her three Democratic opponents are:
— Shelly Albright, the director of Children and Youth Ministries at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, making her first run for office.
— Seth Densen, a social worker also making his first run for political office.
— Tom Valeo, who served as a legislative aide to outgoing Rep. Willhite.
Her Democratic competitors don’t show any money spent or raised in March, though both Albright and Valeo entered the race in April. That means their first fundraising reports aren’t due until May 10.
Republican Banionis’ campaign filings show he’s No. 2 in the money race, with a total of $808 on hand. He raised $200 in March and spent $171 on a website logo and business cards.
Whoever wins the Democratic Primary is likely to claim the seat, though. Voters in that district went for President Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020 by more than 10 points, according to Matt Isbell of MCI Maps.
The campaigns faced a Monday deadline to report all March financial activity.
