Gloria Romero Roses nears $200K, touts endorsements in HD 113 bid

Democrat Gloria Romero Roses more than doubled her prior fundraising in the first quarter of 2026, collecting over $134,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31 toward her House District 113 bid.

That haul, of which $90,000 was self-loaned, brings her war chest to more than $196,000.

Romero Roses, a real estate professional and community activist, received 184 outside contributions in Q1. Her average donation was $241.

Notable donors included former U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, former CFO Alex Sink, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, former Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey and former Pinecrest Council member Anna Hochkammer.

About 95% of the donations she received last quarter came from South Florida sources.

Romero Roses also spent close to $28,000 on political consulting, design and printing, accounting services, web fees, campaign shirts, text messages, voter data, staff salaries, bank fees and donation-processing fees.

She also reported $2,700 worth of in-kind contributions, mostly self-given, for staff costs, event costs, food and beverages, postage and conference call software.

She entered April with $165,000 on hand. Altogether, she has loaned her campaign $120,000. Anything unspent from that sum is refundable.

“This campaign is powered by people who are ready for real leadership focused on solving problems, not political theater,” Romero Roses said in a statement.

“We’re building a coalition of supporters who understand that Miami’s working families are being squeezed by rising costs, and the ripple effect undermines the backbone of our economy, our small and mid-size businesses. Policy isn’t abstract, it affects real lives every day and people are ready for a leader who solves problems, without the chaos and the extremes.”

Romero Roses’ campaign also provided a list of her endorsers so far. They include Shalala, Sink, Sorenson, Davey, Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, Miami-Dade School Board member Luisa Santos, former state Sen. Ron Silver, former Pinecrest Mayor and former state Reps. Annie Betancourt and Cindy Lerner, and former Palmetto Bay Mayor Shelly Stancyzk.

Romero Roses is competing in a Primary against Miami-Dade Young Democrats President Justin Mendoza Routt.

Three Republicans are also competing for the HD 113 seat, which Republican Vicki Lopez vacated for a seat on the Miami-Dade Commission last year. They include former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and businessmen Tony Diaz and Frank Lago.

Lopez vacated the seat in mid-November, before the beginning of the 2026 Legislative Session.

Gov. Ron DeSantis still hasn’t called a Special Election to replace her.

HD 113 covers a central portion of Miami-Dade County, spanning all of Key Biscayne and parts of Coral Gables and Miami, including Virginia Key and PortMiami, one of the county’s two top economic engines alongside Miami International Airport.

The district has skewed redder in recent cycles and now contains slightly more registered Republicans than Democrats, though voters without party affiliation still outnumber both, according to L2 voter data. The Miami-Dade Democratic Party says HD 113 remains a D+4 seat, “providing significant opportunities for Democrats.”