Democratic Rob Long and Republican Bill Reicherter infused their respective war chests with substantial sums of cash between July 1 and August 14 in the Special Election race for House District 90.
They used very different methods to do so.
Long, a Delray Beach Commissioner, depended on a blend of personal checks, corporate contributions and a large donation from a political committee to raise more than $20,000 in the last reporting period.
Reicherter, a signage company owner with a long history of community involvement, added $100,625 to his campaign account over the same stretch.
All but $623 of it was a self-loan.
Two others running — Republican Maria Zack, a longtime Georgia lobbyist and noted conspiracy theorist, and no-party candidate Karen Yeh — increased their respective campaign holdings by $5,000 and $1,800.
All of it came from their respective bank accounts.
Long’s most significant gain, a $10,000 donation, came from Florida Sunshine PC, a political committee run by consultant Screven Watson, a former Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party.
He also received $2,500 from Deerfield Beach-based real estate company Mancon Inc. and $ 2,000 apiece from Boynton Beach real estate professional Lee Cohen and Tallahassee-based Benlee Asset Management.
About 60% of the $8,600 he spent went to Andrew Dolberg’s Plantation-based Sunshine Strategies Group. The rest covered legal services, online workspace costs, bank fees, checks and a roughly $1,800 qualifying fee paid to the Florida Division of Elections.
By April 15, he had approximately $53,000 remaining in his campaign account and the Long Lasting Progress PC.
Reicherter, who runs a local nonprofit and serves on several local advocacy, charity and government advisory boards, received five personal checks: one for $260.25, another for $250 and two for $57.26.
His sole expenditure was the $1,800 qualifying fee, after which he had about $98,800 left.
Zack — who runs a Lantana-headquartered organization that, among other things, claims to have uncovered evidence of conspiracies to “depopulate countries through a COVID attack” and rig the 2020 election using satellites over Italy — also reported only paying for the $1,800 fee.
She also reported nearly $1,900 worth of in-kind contributions, all of which were self-given, for travel, web costs, food, and office supplies.
By mid-August, Zack had $3,200 left in her campaign account. A political committee she registered on Aug. 13, called Friends of Maria Zack, hasn’t yet filed any reports.
Yeh, a serial litigant who has filed multiple lawsuits in Florida, mainly relating to property and bank disputes, had just $200 left after paying a $1,200 qualifying fee.
Her qualifying fee was less than that of the other candidates because she has no party affiliation and therefore doesn’t have to pay a 2% party assessment.
HD 90 is a Democratic-leaning district that spans a coastal portion of Palm Beach County, including Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and part of Highland Beach.
It was represented for years by Democratic Rep. Joe Casello, whose death in July triggered the Special Election.
Long, Yeh and the winner of the Sept. 30 Republican Primary between Reicherter and Zack will square off in the race’s General Election on Dec. 9.
Post Views: 0