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TAMPA — When it comes to money, Suzy Lopez is in a strong position in November’s election for Hillsborough district attorney, while her opponent Andrew Warren has amassed enough to be competitive.

Lopez, who was appointed as After Gov. Ron DeSantis toppled Warren, he received more than $1 million in support from major Republican donors, campaign finance records show.

However, Warren has received more than $600,000 between his campaign and an affiliated political action committee. That’s still far more than most local campaigns typically bring in. The highest totals for other statewide races in Hillsborough this year are in the low hundreds of thousands.

The huge sums reflect the high stakes in what is expected to be one of Florida’s most watched races.

How Lopez raises and spends money

Campaign finance records show Lopez has a significant advantage. Since running for office in the summer of 2023, the Republican has raised more than $1.1 million through direct donations to her campaign and contributions to her political action committee, Friends of Suzy Lopez.

Donors to her campaign include prominent Tampa criminal defense attorneys and several high-ranking employees of the district attorney’s office.

Her political committee received tens of thousands in funding from Republican lawmakers and DeSantis allies. Notable names include Republican activist Martin Garcia, whose investment firm Pinehill Capital Partners donated $15,000 to Lopez’s committee. She also received more than $100,000 from a number of political committees affiliated with Republican lawmakers and state officials, including state Senators Jim Boyd, Danny Burgess and Jay Collins, Rep. Lawrence McClure and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

She can also count on the strong support of Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. The sheriff and his wife Nikki DeBartolo, whose personal fortune is in the millions, both donated to Lopez’s campaign. A political committee called Friends of Chad Chronister also donated $25,000 to Lopez’s committee.

Lopez has spent most of the money she raised but still has more than $300,000 left for the final weeks of the campaign, records show. She has used her campaign funds to fund consultants, direct mail and text messaging, among other things.

She also seems to rely heavily on television advertising. Records filed with the Federal Communications Commission show she has been doing so since September At least $400,000 to purchase local TV advertising time. The state Republican Party also bought television commercials to help her, along with Hillsborough County Commission candidates Ken Hagan and Chris Boles, records show.

How Warren raises and spends money

Warren has raised just over half as much as Lopez. Between his campaign and an affiliated political committee, Safer Stronger Florida, he has raised about $665,000.

His overall result may be partly due to his late entry into the race. Warren first announced earlier this year that he would not run for the office from which he was ousted, citing that DeSantis would likely suspend him again if he won. But after a positive ruling from an appeals court, he changed his mind. He announced a start in April, shortly before the qualification deadline.

He entered the race with significant financial support from his political committee, which began receiving donations shortly after his suspension in August 2022.

Among his top supporters is Steve Yerrid, a prominent Tampa personal injury attorney whose law firm donated $19,000 to Warren’s caucus this election cycle, records show. Warren also received major donations from several prominent Tampa Bay area figures and organizations, including philanthropist Frank Morsani, Tampa Bay Rays general manager Brian Auld and ubiquitous personal injury firm Morgan and Morgan.

A political committee affiliated with Raymond Paultre, a Democratic fundraiser who worked on former President Barack Obama’s 2012 Florida campaign, donated $10,000 to Warren’s committee, records show.

Warren has also produced video ads, although he appears to be less reliant on traditional television advertising. Instead, he appears to be targeting voters on social media. An ad that surfaced on Facebook featured Robert DuBoise, who was relieved of exoneration for a murder Warren did not commit.