Ryan Nicol
Rep. Jim Mooney and Monroe County Commissioner Holly Raschein are holding a joint fundraiser Monday evening, as each seek re-election to their respective posts this year.
The fundraiser will run from 6-8 p.m. at the beach bar at Robbie’s Marina, located at 77522 Overseas Highway. Both are collecting donations up to $1,000.
Mooney and Raschein are political allies. In 2020, Mooney won a contest to succeed Raschein in the House District 120 seat. Raschein endorsed Mooney in a highly competitive three-way GOP Primary, which Mooney won by about 1 percentage point over Republican Rhonda Rebman Lopez. He then went on to win the General Election against Democrat Clint Barras by around 10 points.
Raschein stepped away from the seat that cycle due to term limits. After her time in the Legislature, she joined AshBritt Environmental as a Government Relations Director. But when Monroe County Commissioner Mike Forster passed away last fall, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Raschein to temporarily fill the vacancy in his District 5 seat. Forster battled pneumonia following a COVID-19 diagnosis before his death.
Raschein has been serving as a Commissioner since September 2021. But coming up later this year, she’ll need to win an election to serve out the remaining two years left in Forster’s term.
Raschein, a Republican, is currently matched up against fellow Republican Jose Felix Peixoto, according to Monroe County election records. As of April 30, Raschein has raised just under $29,000, while Peixoto has reported $0 in contributions. Raschein has just under $17,000 available as of the end of April.
Mooney, meanwhile, is facing Lopez in a rematch of their 2020 Primary contest. Republican candidate Robert Allen is also competing this cycle. And Democrats Adam Gentle and Daniel Horton-Diaz are battling it out for the Democratic nod.
Gentle and Horton-Diaz each hold around $50,000 as of March 31, the latest records available through the Division of Elections.
Mooney leads both, with around $84,000 on hand as of the end of March. Lopez just filed in early April, and will only submit her first fundraising report later this week. Allen, meanwhile, has collected just $150.
