Democrats raise $15.7 million for Florida special elections

Democrats running in two special elections in Florida have raised a remarkable $15.7 million in the past two months. These elections will take place on April 1 in districts that are heavily Republican. Gay Valimont, a gun control advocate, is running in the 1st Congressional District. She raised nearly $6.4 million, which is five times more than her opponent, Republican Jimmy Patronis. In the 6th District, Josh Weil, a teacher, has raised $9.3 million, over 16 times more than Republican state Senator Randy Fine. The strong fundraising shows that grassroots support for Democrats continues, even with Donald Trump back in office. Notably, 75% of Valimont and Weil’s donations were small, at $200 or less. However, both candidates face tough challenges in districts that strongly favor Republicans. Trump won the 1st District by 37 points and the 6th District by 30 points in the last election. These special elections aim to fill seats left by former GOP Representatives Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz, both of whom won re-elections decisively. Trump has endorsed the Republican candidates, and the party aims to expand its slim House majority. Fundraising reports show that the Democrats have outspent their Republican opponents significantly. Valimont has spent $4.2 million and has $2.2 million left, while Patronis has spent over $1 million and has $815,000 remaining. Weil has spent $8.1 million, with $1.3 million left, compared to Fine's $710,000 spending and only $93,000 on hand. Recently, the Republican Party of Florida began advertising to support Fine, spending $930,000. Meanwhile, a super PAC linked to the cryptocurrency industry has also invested $1 million in ads. The Democratic National Committee announced it would send funds to Florida Democrats to support their election efforts, though the specific amount was not disclosed.