Jesse Scheckner
By now, Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar has more than likely crossed the $3 million mark in fundraising to defend her seat representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
In the last reporting period, running from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, Salazar’s campaign reported raising $415,000, bringing her total haul this cycle to $2.98 million.
She also spent $181,500, a small portion of the $1.2 million she’s raised since she won re-election by a landslide two years ago.
Heading into October, she had $1.9 million left — roughly 18 times the sum held by her Democratic challenger, Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Báez-Geller.
Salazar’s campaign reported 669 contributions last period, though many were from donors that gave multiple times.
That included maxed-out personal donations of $6,600 from a handful of well-to-do givers, including billionaire New York businessman Ken Langone, conservative Weston-based journalist Paul Figueiredo and retired Connecticut physician Jay Reibel.
Businessman, lawyer and philanthropist Hugh Culverhouse Jr., a supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis, gave $6,600 as well. So did Mark Stern, the Chair of asset management company TCW Group and a minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Salazar’s biggest gain was a more than $75,000 infusion from House Speaker Mike Johnson’s joint fundraising committee (JFC), Grow the Majority, which had given her over $195,000 this cycle.
Her own JFC, Salazar Victory Committee, shifted $69,000 to her campaign coffers too, adding to the $720,000 it transferred to her previously.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer gave Salazar roughly $43,000 through two PACs he runs, one of which has given her $121,000 altogether this cycle.
Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Tom Cole’s COLE PAC kicked in $5,000, as did the PACs of former National Security Adviser John Bolton, Universal Music Group and National Restaurant Association.
The Automotive Free International Trade PAC and Republican Governance Group/Tuesday Group PAC gave $5,000 as well.
Salazar donated about $20,000 to the Republican Party of Florida. The rest of her spending covered advertising, travel, phone and internet, list rentals, media booking services and an array of consulting work for field organizing, communications, finance, translation, fundraising, legal and accounting.
Báez-Geller raised $183,000 last period, an overwhelming share of it through hundreds of personal checks from donors who listed Miami-Dade addresses.
She also spent $120,500. Of the more than $538,000 Báez-Geller has raised this cycle, she had about $109,000 at the start of this month.
Noteworthy donors to her in August in September included incoming Florida Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo, Coral Gables Democratic Club President Bentonne Snay, former Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorensen and Kevin Cho Tipton, a past Florida House candidate who last year received the U.S. Surgeon General’s Medallion for Health Award.
She also got $7,000 from EMILY’s List, $5,000 from the PAC of Service Employees International Union and $2,500 from Elect Democratic Women — all of which have endorsed her and previously gave her $3,000, $5,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Another endorser, the League of Conservation Voters, gave $1,000.
As was the case with her opponent, a sizable chunk of Báez-Geller’s spending covered digital, fundraising, field and compliance, as well as campaign staff payroll, web hosting costs, food, software, printing, donation-processing fees, text messages, mailers and advertising.
She paid Homestead Democratic state Rep. Kevin Chambliss $5,000 for general strategy consulting. Another $22,000 went to the Global Strategy Group in New York City for polling.
Báez-Geller, a 15-year educator, announced her candidacy in November 2023 after serving just one term on the School Board, where she distinguished herself as the panel’s most progressive member.
She defeated a better-funded Primary opponent, former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey, with 54% of the vote in August.
CD 27 covers Miami, Coral Gables, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, North Bay Village, South Miami, West Miami and several unincorporated areas. Voters in the district have tended to favor teachers.
The area was long represented by former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a moderate Republican educator and private school operator who served in federal office from 1989 to 2019.
Ros-Lehtinen’s successor, Democrat Donna Shalala, worked for decades as President or Chancellor of three higher education institutions, including the University of Miami. She defeated Salazar, a longtime TV journalist, for the CD 27 seat in 2018.
Salazar broke the trend in a rematch two years later. She was re-elected last year with more than 57% of the vote against former Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who is now running for Miami-Dade Clerk.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.
