Democratic candidates stack $216K in Q4 toward Primary race for GOP-controlled HD 106

Two Miami-Dade Democrats vying for their party’s nomination to face a twice-elected Republican incumbent in once-blue House District 106 amassed more than $100,000 each last quarter, though they took different fundraising routes to do so.

Lucia Báez-Geller, a former Miami-Dade School Board member who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2024, added nearly $116,000 to her campaign account between Oct. 1 and New Year’s Eve.

Most of that sum — $100,000 — came from her bank account as a self-loan that, if not spent, is refundable.

Her Primary opponent, lawyer Ashley Litwin Diego, raised just over $100,000. Of that, $15,000 was self-loaned.

The man they hope to supplant in November, Miami Beach Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe, collected a comparatively modest $30,500. But he also received nearly $45,000 in in-kind aid from his party for consulting, phone calls, and food and beverage expenses.

Of the three, Báez-Geller is taking the most grassroots approach to external gains. Just one contribution to her last quarter wasn’t a personal check: $1,000 from Floridians for Better Government, a political committee (PC) linked to former state lawmaker and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson.

Báez-Geller received 332 outside donations in Q4, 95% of which came from Florida donors, with the majority coming from South Florida.

Her average donation was $47.29. Several notable figures chipped in.

Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller (no relation), who succeeded Báez-Geller on the School Board, gave $250, adding to another $1,000 he donated through his eponymous PC in Q3.

Hollywood Commissioner Caryl Shuham gave $100. Another $30 came from Alachua County School Board member Sarah Rockwell, who drew criticism in July for saying it was “good” that late pro wrestler and Donald Trump supporter Hulk Hogan died because it meant “one less MAGA in the world.” (She apologized amid calls for her resignation.)

Báez-Geller also got $100 from South Florida Tech Hub CEO Imran Siddiqui and $150 from repeat political candidate Raquel Pacheco, who was in headlines this week after she posted a video of Miami Beach police questioning her at home for a critical Facebook comment she wrote about Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.

Báez-Geller spent about $36,000 last quarter. More than half — $18,800 — went to Plantation-based Sunrise Strategies Group for fundraising. Another $15,000 went to Miami-based Palm Media for consulting services.

She also spent $1,600 on fundraising database services from California-headquartered Numero Inc. The rest covered banking and donation-processing fees.

So far this cycle, Báez-Geller has raised nearly $190,400. All but $40,400 was self-given. She entered 2026 with $153,500 in cash on hand.

Litwin Diego, who launched her campaign Oct. 20, collected about $80,000 through her campaign account and $20,350 through her PC, Friends of Ashley Litwin Diego PC, by New Year’s Eve.

She also spent nearly $20,000, leaving roughly $80,400 in her account by New Year’s Day.

She received 134 outside contributions, more than a third of which came from fellow lawyers. Three people with the last name Litwin each gave $1,000. Her average donation was $628.

Her biggest donor, Surfside photographer Melissa Galindez, gave $3,500. Coral Gables lawyer Marilyn Rodriguez contributed $3,000, while Miami attorney Lara Rios kicked in $2,500.

Former Pinecrest Council member Anna Hochkammer, who runs the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, gave $500.

Litwin Diego also received $5,500 from Residents First Leadership, a county-level PC run by Democratic consultant Christian Ulvert, and $5,000 from New Leadership for Florida, a state PC Ulvert ran in 2021 for then-House candidate Maureen Porras.

The preponderance of Litwin Diego’s spending went to firms Ulvert owns and operates, including $8,300 to EDGE Communications and $1,400 to Win Canvass.

She also paid $5,000 to consultant Michael Worley’s MDW Communications, $1,500 to Miami-based Good Catch Inc. for apparel and $250 to TG Benson Photography, also in Miami, for campaign pics.

The rest went to bank supplies, bank fees and donation-processing fees.

Basabe, who won his HD 106 seat in 2022 by less than a percentage point and won re-election two years later by a 4-point margin, leaned heavily on political and business donors last quarter.

He received 41 contributions in Q4 through his campaign account and the political committee Common Sense For Florida, with an average donation of $744.

His most significant personal donation came from Fort Myers eye surgeon Jonathan Frantz, who gave $3,500.

YMP Family Foundation Director Yaffa Yakubov, a Miami Beach resident, gave $1,000. So did economist, public policy analyst and professor Jeffrey Sachs, who leads Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development and serves as President of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Republican Reps. Jennifer Canady of Lakeland, Patt Maney of Shalimar and David Smith of Winter Springs each gave $1,000 through their respective PCs.

Basabe also accepted $1,000 from the PCs of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, Florida Professional Firefighters, Florida Insurance Council, Maritime Leadership Committee and Faith Family & Coalition. Another $500 came from the Underground Utility Contractors of Florida.

He received $2,000 from the PC of Florida Partners. Lobbyist Ron Book gave $3,000. Book’s wife, Pat, contributed an extra $1,000.

Lobbyist Sebastian Aleksander gave the same through his eponymous Palm Beach firm.

Other notable contributions included $1,000 apiece from the Miccosukee Tribe and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

Basabe spent about $12,000 in Q4. Of that, $6,700 went to Tallahassee-based PAC Financial Management for treasury services and campaign shirts. He also paid roughly $1,900 to Union Printing & Signs in Lauderhill.

Other spending included $800 to consultant Anthony Pedicini’s SimWins firm, $787 to Hector Lopez of Miami Shores for contract labor, $500 to Jesse Kerner of Sebastian for website work, $185 to Miami Beach-based XO Hospitality Group for food and beverages, $20 to Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia’s Office for voter data and a $113 travel reimbursement to his aide, Robert Novo, a one-time candidate for the Miami Beach Commission.

Basabe has raised $97,500 so far in the 2026 election cycle, with $16,000 of that amount being self-loaned. He had just under $38,000 left in his campaign account and PC by Jan. 1.

HD 106 covers a coastal strip of Miami-Dade between Miami Beach and Aventura.

Candidates faced a Monday deadline to report all campaign finance activities for the period through Dec. 31.