Chip LaMarca armed with $339K for rematch to represent coastal Broward County

Rep. Chip LaMarca hauled in $24,1779 in May — a modest fundraising draw compared to April’s high-water mark of nearly $60,000.

Still, though, that puts the Lighthouse Point Republican miles ahead of the Democrat challenging him in his bid for a third term representing coastal Broward County.

Between his personal campaign account and his political committee, Citizens Helping Improve Policy, LaMarca has $339,434 in cash on hand to hold onto his seat representing House District 100, which was renumbered in this year’s redistricting process.

Its political make-up hasn’t shifted much, though, since LaMarca beat his current challenger, Linda Gonzalez Thompson by 10 points in the 2020 contest.

LaMarca spent $5,658 in May, the most of any month in this campaign cycle. The larger expenditures were $2,000 for digital services with Political Consulting LLC in Boca Raton, $1,405 with New River Strategies in Fort Lauderdale, and $1,000 he sent to the Republican Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff’s campaign for re-election to her Volusia County seat.

LaMarca’s biggest, single donation came from the Lighthouse Point Yacht Club, which chipped in $7,384. Lori Ryan of Fort Lauderdale, who works in real estate, gave him his second-biggest donation of the month: $3,000.

Health care interests formed the largest sector of LaMarca’s May support. Three different offices of Sunshine Kids Pediatric Care gave $1,000 each. And David Maymon, the Sunshine Kids’ founder and CEO, gave LaMarca $1,000, as did his wife, Marla Maymon, both of Dallas, Texas. ABA Centers of America, an autism therapy business with an office in Boca Raton, donated $1,000.

Other donors giving LaMarca the maximum $1,000 donation in May were Johnathan Robertson, a Fort Lauderdale venture capitalist and Gulf Building LLC, based in Fort Lauderdale.

Thompson Gonzalez, meanwhile, had her best month raising money from individuals out of the two months that she’s been taking on LaMarca for a rematch.

Thompson Gonzalez, who retired after a decades-long career in federal service, added $9,715 in April, but $5,000 of it was a loan she gave to her campaign. In May, however, she raised $6,820 from individuals in her grass-roots campaign.

Out of 56 contributors, just three gave $500 or more. Her largest donation, $1,000, came from Daniel Thompson, an executive who lives in South Haven, Michigan.

She spent $2,206 in May with the bulk of it, $1,610, going to NGP VAN in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for database services. After that spending, her campaign was left with $14,102 cash on hand.

The campaigns were facing a deadline Friday to report all financial activity through May 31.

The district that extends roughly from Port Everglades to the Palm Beach County line was called House District 93 but now it’s been renumbered HD 100. The district elected Joe Biden in 2020 by less than 1 percentage point, according to Matt Isbell of MCI Maps.

LaMarca is the only Republican representing a House district that’s entirely contained in blue Broward County.