Mast, Dandiya Raise Over $1M in Q1 Battle for Martin-St. Lucie House Seat

Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast and his Democratic challenger Pia Dandiya together raised more than $1 million in the first quarter of the year, setting up what could be a well-funded fight for the congressional seat that covers all of Martin and St. Lucie counties.

Mast pulled in more than $602,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31, building his cash on hand to more than $2.5 million as of April 1. Dandiya raised more than $410,000, though nearly half of that — $197,000 — was a self-loan she can recoup if left unspent. She entered April holding close to $1.2 million.

A well-funded challenger in a district rated R+7 by the Cook Political Report means Mast, who has held the seat since 2017, will face a more competitive race than in recent cycles.

Mast's donor list read like a roster of national finance and industry heavyweights. Among those who gave the maximum $7,000 were Apollo Global CEO Mark Rowan, billionaire venture capitalist Howard Cox, and former Marvel Entertainment Chair Isaac Perlmutter and his wife, Laura. Thirty PACs contributed as well, including political arms of Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Delta Air Lines, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which pushed its total giving to Mast this cycle past $40,000.

One local name appeared on Mast's donor list: Joseph Catrambone, CEO of the Stuart-Martin Chamber of Commerce, gave $100. Catrambone drew public criticism this month after suggesting on LinkedIn that the Food and Drug Administration should test on Democrats rather than animals, according to public records. He apologized.

Mast spent close to $475,000 last quarter, with more than $220,000 going to Port Orange-based Response America for direct marketing.

Dandiya's fundraising leaned on smaller-dollar donors and a handful of progressive PACs. Her largest vendor was New York-based Kinetic Strategies, which received $56,000 for fundraising consulting. A Stuart firm, A Double EE LLC, also received a contract.

Dandiya's only active Democratic primary opponent, Bernard Taylor, raised just $8,500 and held barely $23,000 in cash — effectively sidelining him as a competitive factor. A fourth candidate, Jensen Beach resident Amr Metwally, had not reported raising or spending a single dollar, public filings show. His campaign website calls for repealing the 19th Amendment and contains antisemitic content.

The primary is Aug. 18. The general election follows Nov. 3.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.