Jacob Ogles
Democrat Nate Douglas has now outraised Republican state Rep. Susan Plasencia by more than $100,000 in House District 37.
The Oviedo Democrat hopes to flip the district around the University of Central Florida blue two years after Plasencia unseated an incumbent Democrat. With donor eyes looking past a statewide Primary and toward battleground seats in November, Douglas saw an infusion of about $15,000 in new donations to his campaign between Aug. 20 and Sept. 6. The Florida Democratic Party also provided more than $10,000 in in-kind support to his campaign.
In total, Douglas has now collected more than $238,000 in cash through Sept. 6, not counting nearly $27,000 in support services from the state party
Plasencia saw less than $2,700 in new donations in the post-Primary fundraising period, and her cash total sits at just under $134,000. The Republican Party of Florida has offered the incumbent similar in-kind support, about $5,000 since the Aug. 20 Primary passed and more than $26,000 in total.
The incumbent has tallied nearly $134,000 in donations over the course of the race, no small sum but much less than her challenger.
And even though Douglas’ campaign has spent nearly $52,000 more than Plasencia’s to date, he wrapped the fundraising period with more cash on hand. The Democrat had more than $95,000 in cash on hand in his campaign account as of Sept. 6, while the Republican had just $43,000 in the bank.
Plasencia’s Team Plasencia political committee had even less. It reported just $500 in new donations since the start of August, and has raised just over $41,000 the entire campaign cycle, not counting $2,500 in event beverages provided in-kind by communications consultant Randy Ross. Subtract spending and the committee’s account had less than $2,900 cash left on Sept. 6.
Meanwhile, Douglas’ Warriors of Change political committee has raised almost $41,000. That’s less than Plasencia’s committee, but little of that has been spent. Through the last reporting period the committee still had more than $38,000 available to use.
Of course, both candidates will likely see heavy support come from outside committees and their respective state parties. Both sides consider this a frontline district in the November General Election.
Plasencia in 2022 won 52% of the vote over Democratic state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a three-term incumbent left by decennial redistricting in a swing seat after developing a reputation as one of the Legislature’s more progressive members. Smith won areas of Orange County he had represented for years, but lost in Seminole County area now included in the district.
Smith notably went on to win a safe Democratic Senate seat this cycle with no opposition.
The same day Plasencia won, more than 52% of voters supported Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election. The district split on a U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic challenger Val Demings, with Rubio winning a plurality by about half a percentage point.
As Republicans overperformed statewide, delivering DeSantis and Rubio landslides, Plasencia’s victory helped Republicans secure a supermajority in the House.
But in the last Presidential Election year, nearly 55% of voters living in the current HD 37 lines supported Democrat Joe Biden, while just 43% voted for Republican Donald Trump, even as Trump won the state’s electoral votes.
