State campaign report totals reveal no big surprises — yet

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Whose idea was it to have the deadline for campaign finance reports at midnight on a Friday? A quick glance at the totals in some of the more interesting state primary races is all Ladra could do for now.

Let’s just dig in with no particular order in mind. But let’s start with the Senate, since there’s only one local primary anyway.

That would be the Democratic primary for District 39 which is a three-way between former State Reps. Dwight Bullard, James Bush III and Ron Saunders of districts 118, 109 and 120, respectively. Bullard pulled in $3,300 for $12,300 in total and Bush got $6,936 for a total of $8,153. Both have been campaigning and collecting contributions longer than Saunders who, just since April, has raised $61,470 and spent $31,218.

In the House seats, we start with the new 103, one of my favorite races to watch because of the back story (more on that later). It pits Miami-Dade School Board Member Renier Diaz de la Portilla in a bid to return to Tallahassee after serving there for two years, against Redland Middle School teacher Manny Diaz, Jr., who obviously made a big push in the last three months to raise $34,200 — more than he has in any period — for a total of $86,780. Baby DLP, who has been campaigning for far less than Diaz, picked up $41,100 in his second reporting period and more than doubled his warchest to the tune of $80,675. He also gets to bring along the nearly $20,000 he has left from when he was still in the School Board race, which he dropped out of after redistricting.

In 105, Captain Paul Crespo raised $4,850 more for a total of $33,720 except that he also loaned himself a total of $17,000, including a new $5,800 loan in this report. That’s the only reason he’s been able to spend about $39,000. But even with the loans, he still can’t even get close to State Rep. Carlos Trujillo, who moved to the district after he was redrawn into a race with buddy State Rep. Frank Artiles, who has no primary in 118. Trujillo might be seen by some as vulnerable because these people in a new neighborhood don’t know who he is. But he’s not having trouble shaking the trees. Trujillo reported raising another $46,000 for a total of almost $154,ooo.

Trujillo has not raised as much, though, as his homeboys and fellow homeowners insurance vote victims State Reps. Michael Bileca and Jose Felix “One More Pepe” Diaz, have netted a total $238,000 and $244,000, respectively. They lead the state House cash dash, which is often — but not always — a telling sign of support, eventual resources and likely results thereof. And both have challengers that are trailing — woefully in one case and, dicen las malas lenguas, imposed upon in the other. Teacher Eugene “Geno” Perez has spent $6,400 of the $8,100 he raised ($7,200 being loans) since switching from a possible match against School Board Member Carlos Curbelo in May to a swipe at Bileca in 115. And State Rep. Ana Rivas Logan, who was drawn into the same district with One More Diaz and is facing a dogfight that has already started to snarl, collected $19,000 — less than a quarter of her rival’s $81,000 for the same period — for a total of $138,500. Cash in hand is just as bad for Rivas Logan — who reportedly is having a good ol’ bully boy group of incumbents with Diaz who are blocking and stopping contributions from getting to her. And she has spent $75,500 and has $63,000 or so left so far. Diaz has spent more, at $107,500, but he still has more than $136,000 left.

You know who doesn’t have any money left? Alex Dominguez, one of the Democrats in the race for 112, vacated by the term-limited Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who is running for Miami-Dade Property Appraiser and had a debate with the current incumbent, Pedro Garcia, at the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations last week (more on that later). Dominguez, who I have yet to meet, raised $13,625 and spent all but $250. I’ve met Jose Javier Rodriguez, the other doomed Democrat in the race that I predict will eventually go to the Republican frontrunner, former State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, in November anyway (more on that later) — and Dominguez better pull a rabbit out of his hat. Rodriguez, a total novice, pulled in $22,790 in the last period, for a respectable newby total of $70,150. He’s only spent less than $10,000 so expect a lot of exposure or voter outreach this week as ABs drop.

That seat’s Republican primary is pretty much a done deal. Dean DLP is highly favored to beat former State Rep. Gustavo Barreiro, half-brother to Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who faces a challenge of his own from former State Rep. Luis Garcia, a Norman Braman-funded candidate (more on that later). Barreiro raised $21,300 since March, almost tripling his total to $29,800. Dean DLP is not doing as well with the cheddar. Maybe he’s paying too much attention to his baby brother’s campaign. He raised only $10,250 more for a total of $19,000 and has spent $16,000 already. Guess it’s a good thing he doesn’t need the money, really.

Not like Amory Bodin, who is running against State Rep. Erik Fresen for seat 114 and whad his best quarter ever with $4,300 in contributions for a total of almost $7,000. He’s lent himself another $17,000 to make up for it. But if Bodin wants his bid to have a chance, and it might (more on that later), he may need to dig deeper. Fresen raised $25,250 more in this period — that’s five times what Bodin took in — for a total of $132,800.

Another lopsided contest is playing out in 119 between State Rep. Jeanette Nuñez and Libby Perez, who is not related to Geno Perez of the 115 race except that they both once were running against Curbelo for the school board seat. The incumbent, a one-time aide to Dean DLP, raised $70,000 more since March, for a total of $244,000 — that puts her at the top with One More Diaz. Even though she has spent $103,000 of that, she still has more than $140,000 to play with. Libby Perez, who came out of nowhere right before qualification deadline, has raised $9,300 and spent almost $2,900.

But this is just a quick bottom line report — there could be devilish details for Ladra to dig up. And I haven’t even started to look at the PACs.