Debbie Mucarsel-Powell outraises Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez in Florida 26 race
The first head-to-head fundraising quarter in Miami’s most competitive congressional race has a clear winner: Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
Mucarsel-Powell, a first-term lawmaker elected in 2018, raised $742,000 from January through March. Her total is close to double the haul of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, her likely Republican opponent in the November election.
Gimenez’s campaign announced he raised $415,000 during the same fundraising period.
Mucarsel-Powell also has a big advantage in cash-on-hand to run her campaign — $2.1 million to Gimenez’s $405,000.
Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign said she raised more money this quarter than any other of Florida’s 27 House members.
Michael Hernandez, who has been both a former Democratic campaign consultant for Mucarsel-Powell and a former senior adviser for Gimenez, said Gimenez will face “an uphill battle” to match Mucarsel-Powell’s fundraising totals throughout the campaign.
“Can the race be competitive at the ballot box? Yes,” said Hernandez, who is also a political analyst for Telemundo. “But I just expect Debbie to have a much easier time fundraising because she’s been through this already. I don’t expect [Gimenez] to catch Debbie in the fundraising race.”
But Hernandez said Gimenez’s fundraising totals were respectable and that it cements his status as the leading Republican in the race.
In the Republican primary in August, Gimenez, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, is set to face Omar Blanco, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lieutenant, and Irina Vilariño the co-owner of the Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine restaurant chain.
Vilariño did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and her latest fundraising totals were not publicly available. Blanco said the coronavirus has impeded his fundraising efforts. He raised just $8,000 in the previous quarter with $59,000 cash-on-hand.
“I feel good that we’ve got enough money to sustain the race,” Blanco said. “But I don’t think money is going to win this race, and I say that as the underdog, of course, in fundraising.”
Both Mucarsel-Powell and Gimenez have stopped campaigning in person and attacking each other directly during the coronavirus pandemic. But Mucarsel-Powell has criticized certain aspects of the county’s coronavirus response efforts, including Gimenez’s announcement on Monday that he’s forming a plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions at an unspecified time in the future.
Florida’s 26th congressional district, which stretches from Kendall to Key West, has flipped between Republicans and Democrats multiple times in the last decade. Mucarsel-Powell defeated Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo in 2018. Gimenez’s presence in the race has spurred election prognosticators to classify the race as more competitive and encouraged national Republicans to push for the seat to flip once again.
But Trump isn’t popular in the district. He lost it by more than 16 percentage points in 2016, and Mucarsel-Powell flipped it during a midterm election when lower turnout typically favors Republicans. Outside groups are also expected to spend money on TV ads in the district, typically the largest expense for congressional campaigns.
“Some of Debbie’s fundraising totals can be attributed to the advantages of incumbency and not having a primary, but Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is a prolific fundraiser. She also is a lifelong professional fundraiser.” Hernandez said, referring to Mucarsel-Powell’s previous work as a vice president for advancement at Florida International University. “Her fundraising totals don’t surprise me.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 2:25 PM.