Mike Suarez leads the cash battle as Dems seek to reclaim HD 64 after Susan Valdés party swap

Former Tampa City Council member Mike Suarez is by far the top fundraiser so far in the race for House District 64.

Suarez raised nearly $32,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, more than twice what his closest opponent raised in the same period. But that candidate, Luis Salazar, didn’t enter the race until about halfway through the period.

Still, Suarez maintains about $29,000 in his coffers, compared to just shy of $10,000 for Salazar.

Both are Democrats. They also face fellow Democrat José “Dante” Sánchez-Sánchez, but he has not yet filed a campaign finance report despite the passage of Monday’s filing deadline. One Republican is running, Amaro Lionheart. He also has not yet filed a finance report.

The candidates are vying to replace term-limited Rep. Susan Valdés, who is now a Republican but was elected as a Democrat.

The district has a voter advantage for Democrats, who make up more than 37% of the electorate. Republican voters, meanwhile, account for nearly 29% of the district’s voters, according to the most recent L2 voter data.

Suarez brought in 82 contributions last quarter, averaging about $386 each.

Top donors cutting maximum $1,000 checks include Travis Mitchell & Associates, a local government relations firm; Parkway Corporation CEO Robert Zuritsky and its Chair, Joe Zuritsky; Blue Sky Communities President Shawn Wilson; developer Bernard Arenas; Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen’s Hillsborough Together political committee; developer Jonathan Levy; contractor Joseph Williams; the Florida Insurance Council/ The Travelers Companies; the Tower Hill Insurance Group; and Tampa Bay Entertainment Properties, which is Jeff Vinik’s events operations firm.

Suarez’s top expenditure, at nearly $6,500, was to Tampa-based Womack Strategies for political consulting, run by communications strategies Michael Womack. Suarez also spent $3,885 on his campaign kickoff expenses at Florida Avenue Brewing Co. and paid campaign staffer Sebastian Leon about $2,100.

Salazar raised $15,497 from the time he entered the race in late October through December, and spent about $5,500 during that same period.

Salazar is running a grassroots campaign, with 335 contributions averaging less than $47 each. He only took in two top-dollar $1,000 contributions and just a handful of $500 checks.

His top expenditure was nearly $1,500 paid to Alex Honda for consulting, followed by $704 paid to Mark Hanisee, a former Pinellas County Democratic Party Chair, also for consulting fees.

“Our campaign is powered by people, not special interests,” Salazar said. “The fact that over 400 individuals chose to invest in this movement so early on says everything about the hunger for change. I am humbled and energized by the support.”