Randy Fine reports $987K in fundraising ahead of CD 6 Special Election

State Sen. Randy Fine reported more than $987,000 in fundraising as he runs in a Special Election for Congress. The Palm Bay Republican closed the reporting period ending March 12 with just under $93,000 cash on hand.

The fundraising comes as the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) announced a major ad buy backing Fine in the key race.

Fine already secured the Republican nomination in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, and should be the presumed front-runner for a Special Election on April 1. But the fundraising figures hit hours after Fine’s Democratic opponent, Josh Weil, shocked Florida political observers by announcing more than $10 million in total fundraising.

Weil’s federal filing isn’t out yet, so it remains unclear how much the Democrat still has in the bank.

Fine has raised almost $561,000 since the most recent fundraising period started Jan. 9. The latest report covers a period that includes the Jan. 28 Republican Primary that was widely considered the key race to win for the state lawmaker to secure a seat in Congress.

Over the course of the race so far, Fine has spent more than $890,000, and it’s unclear how much was spent before the Primary and how much has gone to campaigning for the Special General Election.

The election will determine who succeeds former U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, who resigned after President Donald Trump hired the fourth-term Representative to become National Security Adviser. Libertarian Andrew Parrott and independent Randall Terry are also running in CD 6, but neither had reported any fundraising to date.

News that the Democratic nominee outraised the Republican in the race by tenfold has drawn new interest in a race widely seen as a likely Republican hold, but which now could become a barometer on public opinion about Trump just over two months after his return to the White House. Shortly after the reports on Weil’s fundraising, the Democratic National Committee announced a significant investment in this race and another Special Election in Florida’s Panhandle.

Still, voter registration numbers show Fine still enjoys a fundamental advantage thanks to the makeup of the district.

As of the March 3 closing of voter rolls, CD 6 had more than 273,000 Republicans registered and eligible to vote in the April 1 Special Election, compared to just over 142,000 Democrats. Another more than 143,000 voters are registered without party affiliation or with minor parties.

Waltz in November won re-election with almost 67% of the vote.

Also of note, the RPOF announced it will independently aid Fine in the final weeks of the race. Bill Helmich, the state party’s Executive Director, told Florida Politics that the state party will put $600,000 behind a new video ad that spotlights Trump’s endorsement of Fine and hammers Weil as a supporter of open borders and higher taxes.

“This April, America First is on the line in Florida,” a narrator in the ad states. “Josh Weil and his liberal Washington backers want open borders and higher taxes, everything Florida stands against.”

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