Former Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Báez-Geller’s bid for House District 106 is off to a strong start.
In Báez-Geller’s first quarter of fundraising, her campaign said she amassed roughly $72,500 and added 12 notable endorsements.
Her camp noted that the 400 or so donations she received since filing for the HD 106 race[1] in mid-July are more than double the total contributions Miami Beach Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe, the district’s incumbent, took in all last cycle.
“I am humbled by (this) support,” Báez-Geller, a Democrat, said in a statement. “My campaigns have always been grassroots, and our message of affordability and the property insurance crisis are clearly resonating.”
Báez-Geller’s endorsers came from all levels of government. They include seven current office holders: state Sen. Shevrin Jones, state Rep. Ashley Gantt, Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller (no relation), Broward School Board member Sarah Leonardi, Mayors Javier Fernandez of South Miami and Michael Joseph of North Miami, and Miami Beach Commissioner Tanya Bhatt.
Former U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, former state Sen. Annette Taddeo, former state Rep. Eliane Bloom, former North Miami Council member Scott Galvin and former Miami Beach Commissioner Jose Smith are also supporting her.
“Lucia is a proven successful candidate, and Basabe continues to be erratic and plagued by scandals,” Báez-Geller’s political consultant, Jeffrey Garcia, said in a statement. “Hopefully, Democrats can avoid a costly Primary where we have a clear pick-up opportunity.”
Báez-Geller’s campaign hasn’t yet turned in its official third-quarter campaign finance reports, which are due Oct. 10.
But Basabe has. Between his campaign account[2] and political committee, Common Sense For Florida[3], he raised $28,000.
All but $3,000 was from one source: the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee.
The rest came from Miami-based lobbying firm Converge Public Strategies[4] and the gaming and hospitality arm[5] of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
After spending about $9,500 in Q3 on photography, texting, ads, printing and legal fees, he had about $19,100 heading into October — inclusive of a refundable $16,000 self-loan.
So far, Báez-Geller — who unsuccessfully ran against Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar — is the only person who has filed this cycle to run against Basabe, who is representing himself[6] against a defamation lawsuit two former staffers filed against him after a pair of House probes[7] cleared[8] him[9] of sexual harassment and battery accusations they lodged against him.
Elected by a razor-thin margin[10] in 2022 to represent House District 106, a coastal district in northeast Miami-Dade County, Basabe won re-election[11] in November with 51% of the vote in one of the cycle’s most-watched[12] state races.
Báez-Geller served one term on the Miami-Dade School Board from 2020 to 2024, when she raised more than $650,000 in an unsuccessful congressional bid[13].
HD 106[14] covers a coastal strip of Miami-Dade between Miami Beach and Aventura.
References
- ^ filing for the HD 106 race (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ campaign account (dos.elections.myflorida.com)
- ^ Common Sense For Florida (dos.elections.myflorida.com)
- ^ Converge Public Strategies (dos.elections.myflorida.com)
- ^ gaming and hospitality arm (pgcb.pa.gov)
- ^ representing himself (cvweb.leonclerk.com)
- ^ House probes (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ cleared (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ him (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ razor-thin margin (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ won re-election (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ most-watched (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ congressional bid (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ HD 106 (www.myfloridahouse.gov)