Darren McAuley cranks up cash lead among Democrats challenging Laurel Lee

Democrat Darren McAuley raised nearly $338,000 by the end of 2025 to challenge U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee. The haul came as national Democrats added the Thonotosassa Republican to its list of targets for the Midterms.

McAuley also spent almost $162,000 and starts 2026 with just over $176,000 in the bank. That’s still a far cry from Lee’s more than $1.32 million in cash on hand.

But it sets McAuley apart from three other Democrats in the Primary field.

“If you’re going to pick a fight, you have to be prepared to win. With the historic opportunity we have to take back the House for hard-working families in 2026, this means building a powerful war chest and leaving nothing on the table. The people of Tampa Bay deserve nothing less,” McAuley said.

“It’s an incredible honor, especially in this disastrous economy, to have more than 3,000 donors who believe in our campaign. Together, we will stop politicians like Laurel Lee from bleeding us dry. Let’s get to work.

McAuley raised roughly $130,000 in the fourth quarter of the year. That followed collecting nearly $208,000 between his July filing and the start of October.

By comparison, Lee raised more than $360,000 in the fourth quarter alone. She spent about $441,000 over the course of the year.

But McAuley was the only Democrat running who raised more than he spent all year in outside contributions, his campaign noted. To date, he has not tabulated any campaign debt.

By comparison, former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kim Overman raised about $76,000 since her August launch. But she closed the year with under $10,000 and more than $13,000 in debt.

Writer Robert People raised more than $21,000 but had only $2,000 at the end of the year. That was after contributing more than $4,000 out of pocket.

Jose Engell reported no financial activity.

McAuley has been endorsed by endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus, VoteVets and U.S. Senate candidate Alex Vindman.

For most of 2025, Lee was not being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is not endorsing in the Primary. Democratic voters in Florida’s 15th Congressional District will choose a nominee in August. Lee to date faces no GOP opposition.