All together, the 13 candidates in the April 13 Coral Gables election have raised more than $1 million — a milestone reached last month, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
Leading the pack are the mayoral candidates, who between them, raised $121,240 just in February. Together, they account for half of the million dollar bounty.
Vice Mayor Vince Lago is still leading Commissioner Pat Keon in every category:
- Total raised: $296,118 vs. $201,515
- February: $68,050 vs. $53,190
- Cash in hand: $221K vs. $167K.
Of course, Keon has the dark money that has already attacked Lago in one mailer last week. We have no way of knowing how much she has in political action committees, since she has gone to great lengths to hide it.
Read related: Pat Keon hits Vince Lago with dark money lies in Coral Gables mayoral race
And watch out guys, because perennial candidate Jackson “Rip” Holmes — who has all of $640 — told Ladra he is soliciting contributions for the first time in his political life! “I feel I might win,” he wrote in an email.
Everyone should have that kind of optimism.
The second largest bankrolls are in the Group 3 race where Javier Baños is still leading with $141,000, but only because he loaned himself at least $62,570. Alex Bucelo, meanwhile, has raised $130,820, including an impressive $37,510 just in February (Baños got $9,435 for the month).
Baños might be losing steam, but he still has more cash in hand at $89,379 compared to Bucelo’s $77,467. His most recent report includes bundles of $400 contributions totaling $2,400 from real estate holdings companies owned by Evelio Garcia, who had already given last year so now he’s given a total of $6,000.
Kirk Menendez — who is Mr. Coral Gables and might just win if all the voters who he coached soccer to vote — also had a good February, with $11,000 to add to his $41,750 total. He sill had $27,750 in hand on Feb. 28.
P.J. Mitchell, who came into the race elated loaned himself $5,000.
In the Group 2 race, the monied candidates are the two dynasty candidates: Jose Valdes-Fauli, brother of the two-time mayor, raised $22,325 in February, for a total of $92,015. Tania Cruz-Gimenez, daughter-in-law to Congressman Carlos Gimenez, the former county mayor, raised $26,820 in February, bringing her total to $90,120. That’s less than a $2,000 margin and Valdes-Fauli has been fundraising for more than a year while Cruz-Gimenez has been fundraising since December.
Valdes-Fauli’s new contributions include $3,000 in bundled $250 checks from developer Sergio Pino. They also include a $1,000 donation from beverage giant Carlos de la Cruz, $500 from art gallery owner Ramon Cernuda and $100 from immigration activist Cheryl Little.
Read related: Coral Gables Group 2 race goes from clustebunch to 3-way along ethnic lines
Among the new donations to Cruz-Gimenez are at least two maximum $2,000 checks from professional government grifter Ralph Garcia-Toledo, $1,000 from the Latin Builders Association, $1,000 from lobby partners Brian May and Rodney Barreto, $500 checks from lobbyist Vicky Leiva and her mother-in-law, Lourdes Gimenez, and $250 checks from former Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick and Children’s Trust director and former Herald publisher David Lawrence.
Valdes-Fauli has also spent more than Cruz-Gimenez, who has spent $26K of her $34,000 in expenses on consulting services by Emiliano Antuñez. She has a little more than $57,000 cash on hand and he has about $45,500.
The third player in that race, Rhonda Anderson, had her best month ever in February, with $17,375 in contributions — more than half her $28,675. And it’s a good thing, too. Because now she has $17,336 in hand.
The other three candidates in that race raised less than $5,000 between them in February and are not really competitive. Sorry Mayra Joli. I know you think you are the bomb, pero aquí no pintas nada.
PACs are raising money, too. Coral Gables First, which is run by consultant Jorge de Cardenas — campaign manager for Lago, Valdes-Fauli and Bucelo — raised $81,000 just in February, after pulling in $54,200 in January. The PAC had $264K in hand on Feb. 28, after expenses, which are mostly postage and consulting fees to de Cardenas, Jesse Manzano and professional fundraiser Brian Goldmeier.
Keeping Coral Gables Beautiful, a new PAC that is to be used for Cruz-Gimenez reported nada. But let’s see what happens this month.
Candidates in Coral Gables collectively raised $1 mil for April race — so far added by Ladra on
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