“Questioning Donna Shalala’s credentials as a Democrat is ridiculous on its face, as her name is synonymous with the Democratic Party,” her campaign adviser, Fernand Amandi, said. | Getty Shalala’s GOP contributions bashed as she campaigns to replace Ros-Lehtinen

MIAMI — Scott Fuhrman said he chuckled at the “gall” of Democratic congressional candidate Donna Shalala when her campaign emailed him an invite to her Wednesday campaign kickoff fundraiser in Miami.

Two years ago, Fuhrman ran for the same seat, but Shalala didn’t contribute to her fellow Democrat. And she did something even worse for Fuhrman. So he let the campaign know it.


“You do know that she donated to my opponent, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, last cycle? Are you seriously asking me for money? GFY,” Fuhrman emailed the campaign of Shalala.

Turns out that Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring, isn’t the only Florida Republican who received contributions from Shalala, who’s the past executive director of the Clinton Foundation, former University of Miami president and served as former President Bill Clinton’s health and human services secretary. And Fuhrman isn’t the only Democrat to take

notice in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. Seven others are running in the crowded primary for the seat, which is seen as one of the nation’s most likely to flip from Republican control this year, and some are making a campaign issue of Shalala’s GOP contributions.

In all, Shalala has personally contributed $21,500 to Florida Republicans running for office in Miami-Dade County, Tallahassee or Washington over the past decade. Her campaign notes that the money‘s a pittance compared to the nearly $230,000 she has personally contributed to Democrats nationally in her career.

“Questioning Donna Shalala’s credentials as a Democrat is ridiculous on its face, as her name is synonymous with the Democratic Party,” her campaign adviser, Fernand Amandi, said in a written statement.

“The voters in CD 27 know that Donna Shalala is one of America’s most respected public servants precisely because of her track record of working across party lines to get things done, without ever sacrificing her principles as a Democratic stalwart,” he said. “Her pedigree as a Democrat is unassailable, just ask the three living Democratic Presidents that she’s worked with and for.”

But Fuhrman said Shalala is out of step with the modern Democratic Party, which is one reason he endorsed one of her opponents, state Rep. David Richardson (D-Miami Beach). The two men share a political adviser, Eric Johnson. Another former Fuhrman adviser, Ben Pollara, works for yet another Democratic candidate in the race, former Circuit Judge Mary Barzee Flores.

When Fuhrman told the two campaigns about Shalala’s fundraiser, they pulled her political contribution data and discovered 13 donors listed on Shalala’s Wednesday night fundraiser gave $785,000 more to Republicans than Democrats. The donors are a who’s who of political heavyweights in Miami, including Cesar L. Alvarez, senior chairman of the Greenberg Traurig law firm, powerhouse lawyer Dean Colson and Barbara Havenick, president and CEO of Magic City Casino/Flagler Greyhound Track. Many of them were connected to Shalala through UM.

Shalala and Alvarez also sat on a health consulting company board, MEDNAX, which contributed $4,875 in 2016 to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s reviled by many Democrats. Barzee Flores’ advisor, Pollara, said the contribution “almost perfectly sums up the contrast of this race: Donna Shalala gave tens of thousands of dollars to elect anti-choice, pro-NRA Republicans, while Mary’s nomination to the federal bench was blocked by one of the anti-choice, pro-NRA Republicans that Shalala helped fund: Marco Rubio.”

Similarly, Richardson swiped at Shalala for “contributing to right-wing Republicans who support the NRA, oppose a women's right to choose and LGBT rights.”

But Shalala’s campaign said she’ll accept help from Republicans as well as Democrats. And she has no regrets for contributing $500 to Ros-Lehtinen in 2011 and 2014 and another $1,000 to Ros-Lehtinen in 2015 before Fuhrman ran against her.

“In the same way that Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen won election after election with strong bipartisan support, our campaign is proud to welcome the votes and contributions of Americans from all parties who want to send Secretary Shalala to Congress to stop the Trump agenda,” the campaign said.

Said Fuhrman: “I wish Donna well in her retirement with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.”