Democrats have won another special election, at least tangentially.
In the southern Florida community of Coral Gables, which is in the Miami area, a candidate evidently aligned with local Democrats has prevailed in a special election over a contender supported by the city’s mayor, Vince Lago, who’s evidently at least aligned with the Republican Party. The victorious candidate in this latest election, which was a runoff following an earlier face-off in which no candidate reached a simple majority, was Melissa Castro, whose fundraising haul ended up significantly lower than what her challenger, Ivette Arango O’Doski, raised. Castro, who was on her way to a spot on the city commission, secured over 59 percent of the vote in early results, with O’Doski nabbing about 41 percent.
O’Doski had actually led in the initial results from the original election before the field was narrowed to just the two. The total number of votes cast in these races has been on the lower side, at least in certain terms. Early results from the runoff showed nearly 5,800 votes cast. In another recent election for a seat on the same commission, another candidate with the local mayor’s support also lost, although Lago himself is somewhat popular for now, having sailed to another term without any general election opposition.
O’Doski’s fundraising had reached nearly a quarter of a million dollars, while Castro raised just above $19,000, most of which available details indicate she spent. Local positions like the role Castro will now be occupying can host critical roles making decisions in areas like spending and development. Annette Taddeo, a former state Senator and Democratic leader in southern Florida, touted the election results. “Wow, second huge blowout in a row in Coral Gables!” Taddeo wrote online on Tuesday. “800k war chests for Gables Mayor’s candidates against 60k for the 2 candidates that won. Hats off to the Coral Gables Dems for their role in helping these candidates win against all odds.”
In Miami-Dade County, where Coral Gables is situated, there was a massive decline in the share of the vote won by the Democratic nominee in 2020 compared to 2016. Hillary Clinton was nearly 30 percent ahead of Trump there in 2016. In 2020? Biden’s lead was just over seven percent.
Wow, second huge blowout in a row in Coral Gables! 800k war chests for Gables Mayor’s candidates against 60k for the 2 candidates that won. Hats off to the Coral Gables Dems for their role in helping these candidates win against all odds 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/Ar8FwSg3x7
— Annette Taddeo 🟧 (@Annette_Taddeo) April 26, 2023
