Former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey quickly has made up any fundraising deficit with his Democratic opponent in the race for the U.S. House seat in District 27 but trails incumbent Maria Elvira Salazar by a large margin.
Davey amassed $314,000 since announcing his candidacy in February, compared to $241,000 for former Miami-Dade School Board Member Lucia Baez-Geller, according to federal election records. The two will square off in the Aug. 27 primary to determine who will face Salazar.
Salazar does have two Republican primary opponents – Frank Polo and Royland Lara – but neither reported any donations. Salazar has a $1.8 million war chest and has endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Baez-Geller has received some key endorsements, such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus-affiliated PAC, Elect Democratic Women and EMILY’s List, a Washington-based organization dedicated to electing women who support abortion rights.
Davey celebrated when he hit the $300,000 mark for the first quarter five weeks after his announcement.
“It is clear that South Florida is ready for a solutions-driven leader focused on solving problems and putting people, not politics, first,” Davey said in an April 2 statement. “While extreme politicians like Maria Elvira Salazar attack our rights and sow chaos and dysfunction, I’m running for Congress to protect our freedoms and ensure everyone has the opportunity to get ahead.”
Democrats hope that the party faithful as well as independent voters will come to the polls to vote for an amendment to add specific abortion rights protections to the Florida Constitution.
It will be an uphill climb against Salazar. District 27 is rated as “solid Republican” by Cook’s Political Report. The candidates are also on their own, said prominent Miami pollster Fernand Armandi.
“The district and the area have gotten increasingly more Republican in terms of registration, and participation,” he said. “There still continues to be virtually no presence by the state Democratic Party in any sense of a comprehensive, effective and efficient political operation in South Florida.”
JOHN PACENTI is the executive editor of the Key Biscayne Independent. John has worked for The Associated Press, the Palm Beach Post, Daily Business Review, and WPTV-TV.