Federal candidates’ pre-primary campaign finance reports were due Thursday. These reports disclose contributions received and expenditures made between January 1 and February 9. The period may have begun sooner for candidates who had not previously filed reports. Our Crib Sheets have been updated with the latest numbers.
Contributions above the reporting threshold received after February 9 must be disclosed via 48-hour reports – those contributions are not included below or in our Crib Sheets. The candidates’ reports also do not include independent expenditures made by and, and disclosed by, third parties. We explore those expenditures farther down this analysis.
Collectively, the candidates raised $6.8M and spent $16.1M during the first 40 days of the year.
Candidates’ Reports
CD1 open (Safe R): Nathaniel Moran (R) out-raised his nearest rival A.D. Atholi, $191K to $22K, and outspent him $272K to $22K. Moran has a $239K to $17K advantage in cash on hand (COH).
CD2 (Safe R): Despite his opponents’ raising and spending less than $25K combined, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston) raised $630K and spent $1.8M during the period. For the cycle so far, Crenshaw has raised $10.6M – more than $1 out of every $6 raised by a Texas congressional candidate on the ballot this year – and spent $8.9M. He has $3.25M on hand, over $3M more than his three primary challengers combined.
CD3 (Likely R): U.S. Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano) out-raised Keith Self (R), $95K to $41K, and outspent him, $495K to $56K. Taylor has an $827K to $92K advantage in COH.
CD8 open (Safe R): Morgan Luttrell (R) continues to lap the field with $237K in contributions and $1.1M in expenditures. For the cycle, he has raised $2.2M and spend $1.4M. Christian Collins raised $54K and spent $272K, putting him solidly in second place. Luttrell has a nearly 11-to-1 COH advantage ($757K to $69K).
CD15 open (Toss Up): Monica De la Cruz-Hernandez (R) continues to dominate both parties’ fields with $211K in contributions for the period and $1.7M for the cycle. Primary rival Mauro Garza (R) raised $9K but spent $396K. No other Republican reported raising or spending more than $7K for the period.
Among the Democrats, Ruben Ramirez ($26K), John Villarreal Rigney ($23K) and Michelle Vallejo ($21K) raised the most, but the race remained fairly low-profile for a Democrat-held seat. Rigney led the field in spending ($75K) followed by Vallejo ($53K), Ramirez ($43K) and Eliza Alvarado ($37K).
CD27 (Likely R): U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Victoria) out-raised A.J. Louderback (R), $77K to $35K, and outspent him, $170K to $35K.
CD28 (Lean D): Challenger Jessica Cisneros (D) out-raised U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo), $703K to $144K, for the period, but has been out-raised by the incumbent, $1.9M to $1.5M, over the election cycle. Cuellar outspent Cisneros, $1.2M to $787K, for the period, and has outspent her for the cycle, $2.2M to $1.1M. Cuellar has a $1.3M to $410K advantage in cash on hand. The other Democrat in the race, Tannya Benavides, raised $2K and spent $7K. Despite these relatively modest figures, Benavides’s presence on the ballot could be enough to send Cuellar to a runoff.
The Republican field remains largely bunched together in terms of campaign finances. Ed Cabrera, whose campaign is largely self-funded, led the field with $59K in expenditures and $118K on hand. Cassy Garcia ($101K) and Willie Vasquez Ng ($98K) are close behind in COH.
CD30 open (Safe D): From a campaign finance perspective, this large primary field has condensed into a three-person race between Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas), Jane Hope Hamilton and Abel Mulugheta. Crockett narrowly led with $155K in contributions and $148K in expenditures for the period. Hamilton raised $146K and spent $144K, and Mulugheta raised $70K and spent $126K. Mulugheta ($131K COH) has more left to spend than Crockett ($81K) and Hamilton ($72K).
Far more resources are pouring into the race in the form of independent expenditures with all but $27K of which supporting Crockett (See below).
CD35 open (Safe D): Greg Casar (D) out-raised Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin), $276K to $169K, and outspent him, $463K to $354K. Casar holds a $168K to $36K advantage in COH. Rebecca Viagran raised $34K, spent $14K and has $65K on hand.
CD38 opem (Safe R): Wesley Hunt (R) out-raised his primary rivals’ combined totals by better than 7.5-to-1. He raised $369K, spent $506K and has $1.4M on hand. Mark Ramsey (R) raised $28K, spent $58K and has $75K on hand. No one else in the field reported raising more than $10K, and only Jerry Ford Sr. more than $10K. Ford, who has $90K on hand, mostly due to $100K in loan balances, spent $12K.
Independent Expenditures
Independent expenditures for federal offices on the ballot in Texas will soon cross the $7M mark with four races accounting for 82% of the total:
- $2.09M – CD30, all but $27K of which spent in support of Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas), led by WEB3 Forward ($1.0M), Protect Our Future PAC ($993K) and Texas Organizing Project ($61K).
- $1.68M – CD8, 83% of which in support of Christian Collins (R), led by House Freedom Action ($630K), Texans for Freedom ($536K), Keep Texas Great PAC ($100K), Drain the DC Swamp PAC ($76K) and House Freedom Fund ($29K). American Patriots PAC ($171K), Congressional Leadership Fund ($50K), Seal PAC USA ($35K) and Special Operations for America PAC ($25K) supported Morgan Luttrell (R).
- $1.17M – CD28, all supporting Jessica Cisneros (D) or opposing U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo), led by Justice Democrats PAC ($295K), Communications Workers of America PAC ($261K), WFP National PAC ($164K), J Street ($100K), SEIU COPE ($100K), NARAL Pro-Choice America ($90K), Texas Organizing Project ($62K) and In Union USA ($61K).
- $717K – CD38 open, all supporting Wesley Hunt (R), led by Opportunity Matters Fund ($492K), Americans for Prosperity Action ($103K), Elect Principled Veterans Fund ($90K) and Congressional Leadership Fund ($25K).
Five other races have attracted at least $100K in independent expenditures so far this cycle:
- $271K – CD3, nearly all supporting U.S. Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano), led by Elect Principled Veterans Fund ($111K), Americans for Prosperity Action PAC ($96K) and National Assoc. of Realtors PAC ($57K).
- $266K – CD23, all supporting U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio), led by American Veterans Support Group PAC ($160K) and Elect Principled Veterans Fund ($87K).
- $173K – CD35 open, all supporting Greg Casar, led by WFP National PAC ($155K).
- $170K – CD1, all supporting U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler), virtually all from Firefighters Alliance of America PAC.
- $107K – CD15, supporting Monica De la Cruz-Hernandez (R) or opposing Mauro Garza (R), led by Congressional Leadership Fund ($102K).
For reference, $2.4M of independent expenditures went into last year’s CD6 special elections.
The expenditure figures above are aggregated from 24- and 48-hour disclosure notices. Additional expenditures may have been reported using other reporting types.
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