Republican Dan Green is trailing incumbent Democrat Darren Soto in campaign fundraising and outside spending for Central Florida’s redrawn Ninth Congressional District.
That's even though President Trump's super PAC has funneled a third of a million dollars to support his candidacy.
Green reported $2.1 million in campaign contributions, according to last week's quarterly campaign finance filings with the Federal Election Commission.
But almost all of Green’s funding — $1.8 million — was in the form of loans from himself.
In 2019, Trump appointed Green as deputy assistant secretary for strategy and force development at the Department of Defense, according to Green’s campaign page.
Soto, who is seeking a sixth term, reported contributions totaling $3.4 million dollars. He's raised seven times as much from individual donors as Green. And Soto's campaign has received 14 times as much as Green from political action committees and other groups.
Florida Republicans expanded the district this year to include four new counties that are whiter and more conservative in a bid to give their party an edge. But Soto says it remains competitive, citing internal polling.
Spending by outside groups makes up nearly a quarter of the money spent on the race.
Soto has benefited from spending by the Progressive Turnout Project and a fund promoting Hispanic candidates. Green has gotten help from two Super PAC’s, including No Going Back, which got a $200 million infusion from Trump’s MAGA Inc. earlier this month.
Super PACs have no limits on how much they can spend on advertising and voter outreach to support or oppose a specific candidate, as long as they don't coordinate that spending with the candidate or their campaign.
Nationally, most outside money has gone to U.S. Senate races this year, not House campaigns, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks money in politics.
