Democratic candidates participating in the April 1 special elections for two heavily Republican House districts in Florida have collectively raised an impressive $15.7 million in just two months, but they still face significant challenges ahead in their campaigns.
Gay Valimont, a prominent gun control advocate running in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, has raised close to $6.4 million from January 9 to March 12—five times the amount raised by Republican Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, according to recently filed fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission.
Meanwhile, Josh Weil, a teacher running in the 6th District, has secured $9.3 million, which is over 16 times the amount raised by Republican state Sen. Randy Fine.
These substantial fundraising figures indicate that grassroots energy among Democratic donors continues to thrive, even with President Donald Trump back in office—75% of both Valimont and Weil’s contributions came from donations of $200 or less. However, while the candidates’ fundraising efforts are robust, the political landscape of their respective districts heavily favors the GOP.
In the November elections, Trump won the 1st District in the Florida Panhandle by 37 percentage points, claiming 68% of the vote, according to election results data from NBC News’ Decision Desk. Similarly, he prevailed in the 6th District by a margin of 30 points, receiving 65% of the vote.
In 2017 and 2018, a surge of small-dollar, grassroots donations powered Democrats in early special elections during the initial months of Trump’s presidency. The upcoming April 1 special elections in Florida mark the first since Trump began his second term; however, Democrats remain significant underdogs in both districts, and the races have garnered little attention from either major party or outside organizations until recently.
The special elections will fill the vacancies left by former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in the 1st District, who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct, and former Rep. Michael Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser. Both Gaetz and Waltz won re-election last year by margins exceeding 30 points.
Trump has endorsed both Republican nominees in these races, and the party is eager to strengthen its slim majority in the House to facilitate the passage of legislation, even if some GOP members are absent or dissenting.
From mid-January to mid-March, Patronis raised more than $1.1 million during this period, which included the January 28 primary, while Fine raised $561,000 in the same timeframe.
The latest reports reveal that Democrats have drastically outspent their Republican opponents. Valimont has expended $4.2 million and had $2.2 million in her campaign account as of March 12, while Patronis spent over $1 million and held $815,000 in his account. Similarly, Weil spent $8.1 million compared to Fine’s $710,000, ending the period with $1.3 million on hand versus Fine’s $93,000.
Since the primary, there has been minimal involvement from national parties or external groups in either race until this week.
The Republican Party of Florida initiated a joint advertisement campaign with Fine, investing $930,000 in ads, according to Impact. Additionally, Defend American Jobs, a super PAC associated with the cryptocurrency sector, has allocated $1 million to ads that launched on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Democratic National Committee announced it would be sending funds to the Florida Democratic Party, although the specific amount was not disclosed, to assist the party in hiring organizers and poll watchers.
