According to CQ Politics, Democrats -- including Florida's Raul Martinez and Suzanne Kosmas -- "comprise nine of the 10 most cash-rich challengers to incumbents of the opposite party.
"The large cash-on-hand totals posted by these Democrats are one sign party officials are hopeful of a number of seat takeovers in November," the site says.
Martinez, who is challenging Republican Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart for relection, placed sixth with $1.08 million. The article notes Martinez is the former mayor of Hialeah, "a south Florida city of 226,000 residents, most of whom live in the 21st." It notes that Diaz-Balart, who has $1.8 million cash on hand, "has run without Democratic opposition in six of his eight elections. One of the exceptions was in 2006, when Diaz-Balart took 59.5 percent of the vote against a little-known Democrat."
Kosmas, who is challenging Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, ranked 9th with $936,000. Feeney is unopposed in the Aug. 26 primary, while Kosmas is favored against Clint Curtis, who took 42 percent of the vote as Feeney’s 2006 Democratic opponent.
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