Democrats raise millions for Florida special elections in Trump territory

The Democrats running in a pair of April 1 special elections for deeply Republican House districts in Florida have raised a whopping $15.7 million combined in two months, but they still face steep uphill climbs in the upcoming campaigns. 

Gay Valimont, a gun control activist who is running in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, raised nearly $6.4 million from Jan. 9 to March 12, five times more than Republican Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer, according to new fundraising reports filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

And Josh Weil, a teacher running in the 6th District, raised $9.3 million, a haul more than 16 times larger than Republican state Sen. Randy Fine.

The massive sums suggest the energy among grassroots Democratic donors has not dissipated with President Donald Trump back in the Oval Office — 75% of both Valimont and Weil’s hauls were from donations of $200 or less. But while the candidates' fundraising is strong, the underlying political math of the districts is extremely GOP-friendly.

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