There’s been a lot of attention this election cycle to the mega spending done in
the governor’s race and by the candidates in the congressional race for District 26. Millions upon millions in a record-setting year.
But that Rockefeller attitude has pretty much trickled down to the Florida House races in South Florida. As of the last reports filed through Oct. 31, the 14 most interesting races had Democrats and Republicans spending at least $3.8 million.
It’s no surprise that State Rep. Erik Fresen (R-Coral Gables) tops the list with nearly $500,000 spent so far and another $60K in the bank as of Friday. He is facing a tough challenge from Democratic challenger Daisy Baez, who actually raised a decent $254,500 of her own, spending $240K. That will certainly help her with name recognition to win the seat in 2016, when Fresen terms out and a presidential year turnout can flip that district blue.
Read related story: Almost $600K already spent on House 112 race
It’s also not entirely shocking that lobbyist Daniel Diaz-Leyva, the GOP challenger to State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, has spent $407,000 for his dream. This is a 
Republican year and the local and state party is county heavily on Danny Boy to be one of the Republicans who take seats and make the House veto proof. He had at least about $25,000 more to spend between Friday and Tuesday.
But those are really the only two House seats under any kind of question. The rest of the GOP incumbents are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising and mailers and phone banks without really needing to.
Is it a way to payoff consultants who are really raking it in this year for no good reason as they even get 15% or more of the work they pay vendors to do in what has become a cottage industry? Is it “the cost of doing business?” Or is it a way to gain more name recognition for future leaps into Congress or the state senate?
Because there seems to be no good reason why State Rep. Jeannette Nuñez (R-Doral) who will pretty much wipe the floor with the poor, unfortunate woman the Miami-Dade Democratic Party convinced to run against her, whatever her name is, has thrown away $340,000 of her $447,000 warchest.
Milagros Ruiz (had to look it up) has raised $6,000. It’s not a fair fight. This is not a true contest.
Read related story: Fat Chance Dems in full House challenge doing next to nada
Neither are most of the races where the Dade Dems forced candidates that Ladra calls the Fat Chance Crew to run against the Republican House incumbents who seem to be spending dough like it’s going out of style.
- State Rep. Frank Artiles (R-Kendall) has $375,000 compared to Omar Rivero‘s $13,000.
State Rep. Michael Bileca (R-Pinecrest) has $241,000 next to Kristopher DeCossard‘s $10K.- State Rep. Jose Felix “Selfie King” Diaz (R-Kendall) has amassed $266,500 to go against Miami-Dade Democratic Party Director Juan Cuba‘s $12,700.
- State Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Doral) has raised $264,700 against Carlos Pereira‘s $12,800.
- State Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr., (R- Hialeah Gardens) has $309,000 to go against Benjamin De Yurre‘s $10K.
- Bryan Avila, who is the heir apparent to the seat being vacated by termed-out Rep. Eddy “Here Comes Hialeah” Gonzalez, has $218,00 against Marianno Corcilli‘s $22,300.
Miami-Dade Republican Party Chairman Nelson Diaz said that candidates are trying for big wins this Republican midterm year to send a message. “They want to make sure they win by as much as possible because they don’t want any challenges in 2016,” said Diaz, who said his organization “just dropped $180,000 more” in different legislators accounts and PACs.
But a 2016 without challenges is unlikely. Dade Dems have openly said they do not expect to win (which may have hurt their fundraising) and that this was more of a training exercise to identify candidates and get them used to campaigning for the 2016 election.
But former Dade Dems chairwoman Annette Taddeo — who was tapped to be former Gov. Charlie Crist‘s Latina linda running mate — actually may have helped Gov. Rick Scott in this election by creating contests that by her own admission are practice runs and that could very well drive out the Republican vote.
Or, as Miami-Dade Republican Party Chairman Nelson Diaz told Ladra, “She created a $3.5 million get out the vote machine against herself.”
Millions raised in local House races — even non contests added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →