Florida Democratic candidates comfortably outraise GOP opponents in special election

The two Democrats running in special elections to fill vacant House seats in Florida overwhelmingly outraised their Republican opponents despite being long shots to win early next month. 

Democrats Gay Valimont, running for the special election to represent Florida’s 1st Congressional District, and Josh Weil, seeking to represent the state’s 6th Congressional District, brought in a total of more than $15 million, according to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) reports filed Thursday before a preelection deadline. 

The campaigns brought in the money in the two-month period leading up to the election from Jan. 9 to March 12. Valimont raised $6.4 million, while Weil took in $8.9 million in contributions. 

That’s several times higher that their Republican opponents raised in that timespan.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, running for the 1st District to succeed former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, raised $1.2 million, while state Sen. Randy Fine (R), running for the 6th District to replace now-national security adviser Mike Waltz, raised about $560,000, according to FEC filings.

The reports come after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Thursday it will make an investment into the races to allow the state Democratic Party to bring in “full-time organizing capacity.” The investment is also set to cover a voter protection program in the two districts, including for more than 200 poll watchers and greeters on Election Day. 

The DNC didn’t provide a specific dollar amount for the investment, but any investment at all is notable in the two solidly red districts in a state that has increasingly trended toward Republicans in recent years. 

Gaetz easily won his reelection bid over Valimont in November with two-thirds of the vote. He resigned from the House late last year after being named as President Trump’s initial pick for attorney general. He declined to be sworn in for another term amid scrutiny around an ethics investigation, even after he withdrew his name from consideration to lead the Justice Department.

Waltz prevailed over Democrat James Stockton by similar margins. 

Observers will watch the April 1 election to see if Democrats can at least make inroads into those margins, possibly suggesting increased enthusiasm — even if the Republicans are still the overwhelming favorites to win.