As Florida inches closer to the state primary election, local candidates are ramping up campaign funds on advertising to their voter base. Running a political campaign is a strategic undertaking that requires a big budget. Simply put, the more funds a candidate raise, the higher their chances of winning their race.
According to Open Secrets, the 2020 election cycle was the most expensive ever, totaling a record-breaking $14.4 billion in political spending. Last month, Vice President Kamala Harris raised $81 million for her presidential campaign just 24 hours after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsed the former California senator for the position. Former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign donations reached $137 million in July right after an assassination attempt catapulted him into the national spotlight.
Although eMarketer reports political advertising spend in media is expected to rise about 30% in comparison to the 2020 U.S. presidential cycle, Black-owned media and advertising agencies are still lagging in their share of ad dollars. A 2022 Standard Media Index (SMI) report revealed ad “spending on Black-owned media comprised only 1.16 percent” of total spend. Black-owned newspapers, radio stations, and TV networks have even reported feeling underutilized during historic campaign cycles, such as Former President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. And in 2020, the Black Owned Media Alliance’s “Your Audiences, Your Market” initiative held Miami-Dade County officials accountable for the lack of spending with black-owned small businesses.
Advertising in Black-led media outlets allows candidates to politically engage Black constituents who may not come across their advertising and who are often disenfranchised during election cycles. Black-owned media plays a critical role as the liaison between candidates and the community. Yet, local and national candidates continue to neglect Black-owned media as a viable campaign tool.
Hy-Lo News put together a comprehensive list reporting how much Miami-Dade County candidates spent on local Black-owned media and advertising agencies. Read what Broward County candidates spent with Black-owned media and ad agencies here.
Please note, some candidate’s spending is marked as “agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned” because there was not enough information available online on the company they spent money with for advertising. Also, campaign funds reported in this article are pulled directly from the candidates’ campaign funding reports and does not include third-party contracts or funding from political PACs.
Office: Mayor Candidates
Daniella Levine Cava (NOP) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total Raised: $1,376,554.84
- Biscayne Times: $6,295
- The Miami Times: $5,640
- Lesesne Media Group Entertainment: $4,100
Manny Cid (NOP) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $207,071
Shlomo Danzinger (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $11,915
Carlos Garin (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $26,885
Alex Otaola (NOP) – Agencies or media were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $311,153.32
Miguel Quintero (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $5,880.90
Eddy Rojas (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $2,400
Office: Property Appraiser Candidates
Tomas Regaldo (Rep) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $144,602
Marisol Zenteno (Dem) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $73,466
Office: Sheriff Candidates
Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez (REP) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total Raised: $83,465.24
- Radio Tout Moun Jwen: $500
Jose Luis Aragu (REP) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $138,079.13
John Barrow (DEM) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total raised: $93,954,18
- The Miami Times: $3,720
Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $172,625.24
Ruamen de Jesus DeLaRua (DEM) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $38,690
Alex Fornet (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $17,980
Jeffrey S. Giordano (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $17,750
Susan Khoury (DEM) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $56,747.38
Mario Knapp (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
Total Raised: $188,639.16
Joe Martinez (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $106,000
Rickey Mitchell (REP) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total Raised: $294,791
- WMBM Radio Station: $2,800
- Radio Kalbas: $1,200
James Reyes (DEM) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total Raised: $160,075
- Biscayne Times: $2,725
- The Miami Times: $3,120
John Rivera (REP) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $41,375
Ernesto “Ernie” Rodriguez (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $129,580
Joe Sanchez (REP) – Agencies or media were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $161,397
Office: Supervisor of Elections Candidates
Alina Garcia (REP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $279,423.18
Willis Howard (Dem) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total raised: $66,640
- The Gospel Truth News: $2,000
Juan Carlos “J.C.” Planas (DEM) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total raised: $73,308
Arnold “Arnie” Benjamin Weiss (DEM) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $70,511
Office: County Commission District 3 Candidates
Marion K. Brown (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
Total Raised: $2,545
Audrey M. Edmonson (NOP) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total Raised: $44,993
- The Miami Times: $3,720
Keon Hardemon (NOP) – UPDATE: Commissioner Hardemon’s team contacted us via email after the article was published and said they did media buys with Haitian radio stations and contracted a Black-Owned production company to produce their campaign commercial. They shared that the media buys were made through Stephanie Bromfield & Associates. The amount spent and names of the media and ad companies were not shared. We initially reported “Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.”
Total Raised: $207,160
Office: County Commission District 7 Candidates:
Cindy Lerner (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $199,714
Richard Praschnik (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $22,239.45
Raquel A. Regalado (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $365,503
Office: County Commission District 11 Candidates
Robert J. Gonzalez (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $222,971
Bryan Pat-Hernandez (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $18,590
Claudia Rainville (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $5,380
Office: School Board District 3 Candidates
Joseph “Joe” Geller (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $102,265.24
Martin Karp (NOP) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $486,748
Brent W. Latham (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $32,080
Gustavo Ortega (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $5,252,43
Hayley Ross (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $28,876
Office: School Board District 7 Candidates
Mary Blanco (NOP) – Agency or media outlet were not able to be identified as Black-owned.
- Total Raised: $184,514.80
Javier “Javi” Perez (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $48,920
Maxeme “Max” Tuchman (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $294,369
Office: School Board District 9 Candidates
Kimberly T. Beltran (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $25,324.03
Luisa Santos (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $173,921.22
Note: Judges marked as “No” either reported no advertising spend with Black- owned media outlets and/or advertising or the advertising agencies and/or media they spent campaign funds on were not able to be identifies as Black owned.
Office: County Court Judge Group 1
Candidate: Patricia Marino-Pedraza (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $147,450
Office: County Court Judge Group 2
Candidate: Kristy M. Nunez (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $99,999.82
Office: County Court Judge Group 4
Candidate: Michelle Marie Urbistondo (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $154,900
Office: County Court Judge Group 6
Candidate: Jorge Perez Santiago (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $135,978.33
Office: County Court Judge Group 10
Candidate: Diana Gonzalez-Whyte (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $57,100
Office: County Court Judge Group 12
Candidate: Mariano Ariel Corcilli (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $167,550.72
Office: County Court Judge Group 14
Candidate: Gloria Gonzalez-Meyer – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $125,201
Office: Country Court Judge Group 18
Candidate: Betsy Alvarez-Zane – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $107,125.01
Office: County Court Judge Group 21
Candidate: Jacqueline “Jackie” Woodward – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $203,710
Office: County Court Judge Group 22
Candidate: Linda Singer Stein – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $112,326
Office: County Court Judge Group 26
Candidate: Maria Ortiz (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $53,100
Office: County Court Judge Group 29 Candidates
Chriostopher Benjamin (NOP) – Yes, advertising spend with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies were reported.
- Total Raised: $84,496.12
- Biscayne Times: $1,325
- DOUX Tropics: $2,250
Scott Janowitz (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $33,785
Alina Salcines Restrepo (NOP) – No
- Total Raised: $75,014.03
Office: County Court Judge Group 31 Candidates:
Rita Maria Baez (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $285,680
Christopher Green (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $122,053
Office: County Court Judge Group 32
Candidate: Lizzet Martinez (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $191,038.26
Office: County Court Judge Group 33
Candidate: Eleane Sosa-Bruzon (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $70,575
Office: County Court Judge Group 37
Candidate: Yara Lorenzo Klukas (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $79,150
Office: County Court Judge Group 40
Candidate: Michael George Barket (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
- Total Raised: $179,467.58
Office: County Court Judge Group 41
Candidate: Larry King (NOP) – No advertising spend reported with Black-owned media and/or marketing agencies.
Total Raised: $56,940
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