Today (Wednesday) was the deadline for all federal and state officeholders and candidates to file campaign finance reports covering various periods ending June 30 (except state runoff candidates). Federal candidates’ July semiannual reports become available online as they are filed, so today’s report and Crib Sheet updates are exclusively federal. State reports typically become available online the next day, which is tomorrow.
Overall, the candidates in the more competitive races found ways to raise money despite the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on fundraisers, meet-and-greets and other “retail politics.” A few incumbents posted relatively small totals, which is not uncommon for this period. It is usually more an insight into how they perceive their opponent’s competitiveness rather than an indication that fundraising is off the mark.
As we swing into general election season, the most important numbers today are cash on hand and total contributions for the cycle. Cash on hand is the relative starting line, and total contributions is an indicator of future fundraising success. There will be exceptions – I have no doubt that Fort Bend Co. Sheriff Troy Nehls (R) will be the beneficiary of efforts to keep open CD22 in Republican hands – as PACs and party organizations focus on November.
With several reports still outstanding, congressional and U.S. Senate candidates still in the game raised $22M during the second quarter, and they collectively have $61M on hand.
SEN: Nearly a quarter of that collective cash on hand total belongs to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R), who has $14.5M on hand after raising $3.3M during the quarter and $16.1M for the cycle. Challenger M.J. Hegar has $902K on hand after raising $1.8M during the quarter and $6.6M for the election cycle.
CD2: U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston) has $4.0M on hand after raising $2.7M during the quarter and $9.2M for the cycle. Challenger Sima Ladjevardian has $545K on hand, raised $537K during the quarter and $1.6M over the cycle.
CD6: Democratic challenger Stephen Daniel out-raised U.S. Rep. Ron Wright (R-Arlington), $131K to $56K, for the quarter. Wright has a slight advantage in cash on hand, $105K to $85K, and has out-raised Daniel for the cycle, $473K to $328K.
CD7: Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) has $3.5M on hand after raising nearly $1M during the quarter and $4.4M for the cycle. Challenger Wesley Hunt reported just over $1M on hand. He raised $913K during the quarter and nearly $3.2M for the cycle.
CD10: U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin) enters July with a $1.3M to $165K cash on hand advantage over Mike Siegel. Their overall contribution totals are less one-sided. McCaul has raised $2.5M for the cycle, and Siegel has raised $897K.
CD21: Challenger Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) is one of three Democrats seeking a Republican-held seat to enter July with at least a $1M advantage in cash on hand (See the next two races.), as she reported $2.9M on hand to U.S. Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-Austin) $1.7M. She has out-raised the incumbent by nearly $2M for the election cycle, $4.4M to $2.6M.
CD22 open: Democrat Sri Kulkarni has $1.2M on hand after raising $961K during the quarter and $2.5M for the cycle. Fort Bend Co. Sheriff Troy Nehls (R), who just won a runoff by 40 points despite being outspent by millions, has $30K on hand. He raised $125K for the quarter and a total of $503K for the cycle.
CD23 open: Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones has just over $3M on hand after raising $813K for the quarter and $4.1M for the cycle. Tony Gonzales II, who holds a tenuous 7-vote lead over Raul Reyes Jr. in the runoff, has $391K on hand. He raised $413K during the quarter and has raised $1.1M for the cycle. Reyes has $59K on hand and $276K in total contributions.
CD24 open: Former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne has $483K on hand after raising $377K during the quarter and $1.4M over the cycle. Democratic challenger Candace Valenzuela exits the runoff with $111K on hand. Her $468K in contributions topped Van Duyne’s quarter, and she remains competitive in overall contributions with $1.1M.
CD25: U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Austin) has a nearly $1.3M to $90K advantage in cash on hand over challenger Julie Oliver, who nonetheless out-raised the incumbent, $214K to $91K, for the quarter. Overall, Williams has out-raised Oliver, $1.5M to $677K.
CD32: U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) has nearly $3.0M on hand after raising $779K during the period and $3.7M for the cycle. Challenger Genevieve Collins has $1.1M on hand. Her $749K in contributions for the quarter nearly matched the incumbent, and she has raised $2.2M overall.
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