Drew Wilson
Former Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith’s campaign for state Senate continues piling up cash.
The Orlando Democrat announced that he raised more than $100,000 in the fourth quarter, bringing his total fundraising past the $350,000 mark since he entered the race in April 2023.
“Hardworking Floridians, not corporations, have continued to invest in our grassroots campaign because they want a Senator who will fight to lower costs, who represents real people, and who has a proven track record of holding Ron DeSantis accountable,” Smith said.
“Thanks to the support of a grassroots army of over 1,600 donors, we are entering 2024 stronger and more ready than ever to defeat any challenger who comes our way.”
Campaign Manager Allison Cassidy added, “The growing momentum behind this campaign is a direct result of the time Carlos has spent listening to the issues affecting real people here in Central Florida and across the state. With an average donation of $78 to the campaign, it is clear that people in the community have invested in this campaign.”
Smith’s official campaign account shows 932 contributions totaling about $55,000 raised during the fourth quarter. He has now raised $243,549 in hard money and entered 2024 with $103,064 in the bank.
The remainder of the fourth-quarter haul came in through his affiliated political committee, Floridians for Equality. The committee has not yet posted a Q4 fundraising report, but it had about $65,000 in the bank at the end of September.
Smith remains the only candidate running to succeed term-limited Sen. Linda Stewart, an Orlando Democrat. An open seat in the upper chamber of the Legislature could attract more contenders, but Smith has hoped his strong fundraising will send a message.
“The strong off-cycle fundraising numbers for Carlos Guillermo Smith have been powered by an impressive number of individuals and grassroots supporters. Of the more than 1,600 donors who contributed to Carlos Guillermo Smith in 2023 1,400 of those donors were grassroots supporters giving less than $200,” said Shayne Cheshire, Smith’s chief fundraiser.
The Senate race serves as a comeback for Smith, who served six years in the House before losing a fourth bid in 2022.
Senate District 17 covers part of Orange County and was drawn to elect a Democrat. According to the most recent bookclosing report from the Florida Division of Elections, there are 130,361 registered Democrats living in SD 17 compared to 85,613 registered Republicans. Stewart won re-election in 2022 with about 56% of the vote.
These impressive fundraising numbers follow a growing list of endorsements for Carlos’ senate campaign from local labor groups, national LGBTQ+ groups, prominent local elected leaders and the majority of Senate Democrats.
