Hillary Cassel keeps up fundraising lead in three-way HD 101 Primary race

A three-way Democratic contest to represent Broward County’s House District 101 sees Hillary Cassel firmly leading the money race with $11,750 raised in April.

With that haul, between her personal political account and her committee, Friends of Hillary Cassel, the Dania Beach lawyer has more than three times the amount of cash on hand than her closest competitor holds.

After April’s expenditures of $8,482, Cassel has nearly $310,000 for the contest to represent the district. That amount includes a $50,000 loan she made to her campaign.

Senate Democratic Leader Evan Jenne served the area but is term-limited.

In April, Cassel’s most significant donation, $5,000, came from Chris Schirmer, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer. She also received $3,000 from the Boca Raton law firm Bernstein Polsky.

Lawyers represented the biggest sector of Cassel’s supporters in April. She collected nearly $9,000 from them. And Democratic St. Petersburg Rep. Ben Diamond, who recently suspended his congressional bid, is among her lawyerly supporters, giving her $250.

The No. 2 in the money race, Democrat Clay Miller, raised $3,952 in April. Two of his donors, 4200 Sebring LLC, a Sebring real estate company, and Vanity Number Leasing in Plantation, a marketing company, gave the $1,000 maximum.

Miller has $78,084 cash on hand, including $4,000 he lent to his campaign.

Records show Miller, President of Broward Young Democrats and an aide to Broward Commissioner Beam Furr, spent $76 in April.

Miller in April was outraised, however, by the No. 3 in the money race, LGBTQ activist Todd Delmay.

Delmay, an event management company CEO, collected $9,184 in April. That’s his biggest haul since September when he raised $13,498.

His donor list shows he’s running a grassroots campaign, with just one donor, Miami lawyer Pamela Schwartz, giving him the maximum $1,000 allowed and 73 donors making up the rest.

After expenses, Delmay was left with $6,847 on hand. The bulk of those $3,585 in April expenses went to MDW Communications in Plantation, for which the campaign paid $3,210 for digital consulting and digital services.

The campaigns faced a deadline last week to report all financial activity in April.

Parts of Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Davie, and Hollywood comprise HD 101.