Year-end campaign finance reports were due Friday for all federal officeholders and candidates. These reports disclose contributions received and expenditures made during the fourth quarter of 2019, and so cash-on-hand figures listed below are as of a month ago, December 31, 2019. Our Crib Sheets have been updated to incorporate these latest results. Please note that our contribution totals for the election cycle may not match candidates’ reports because we exclude loan proceeds as contributions and may not include some other adjustments depending on the candidate.
We made only two changes to our primary race ratings. We upgraded the CD12 Republican primary between U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) and former Colleyville council member Chris Putnam to five stars from four because of large cash on hand figures and outside money flowing into the race. We downgraded the CD31 Democratic primary to three starts from four because of low fundraising totals across the field.
We hope to have a clearer picture of some of these races when candidates facing primary opponents file their pre-primary reports on February 20. Some of the primary races, especially those with double-digit candidates, are a bit muddled by these results.
M.J.
Hegar
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn
SEN: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) raised $2.75M, narrowly eclipsing the total raised by the field of Democrats seeking to challenge him, and he has $12.1M on hand. None of his primary rivals raised more than $30K. Round Rock nonprofit executive M.J. Hegar raised nearly $1.2M, more than the rest of the Democratic field combined, and she has $1M on hand, again more than the rest of the field combined. Four other candidates raised at least $100K: Sen. Royce West ($405K), Austin progressive organizer Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez ($342K), former Houston council member Amanda Edwards ($215K) and former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell ($111K). No one else in the field reported raising more than $10K.
CD1: Democratic challenger Hank Gilbert out-raised U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tyler), $58K to $45K, for the period and has $82K more on hand, but the incumbent has the overall advantage in contributions, $262K to $58K. Gilbert is unopposed in the primary. Gohmert faces Saginaw data architect Jonathan Davidson, whose report was not available.
CD2: U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston), who raised $1.6M for the quarter – $1M more than the Democratic field – and has $2.2M on hand. Among the Democrats, Houston attorney Sima Ladjevardian out-raised Democratic rival Elisa Carnell, $408K to $104K, and has a $378K to $91K advantage in cash on hand. The third Democrat in the race raised $29K and has $5K on hand.
CD3: U.S. Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano) was narrowly out-raised by the Democratic field but has a more than $618K advantage in cash on hand over each potential challenger. Among the Democrats, Richardson employment specialist Sean McCaffity narrowly out-raised Lulu Seikaly, $112K to $107K, and has a $212K to $66K advantage in cash on hand. A third Democrat in the race raised less than $1K.
CD7: U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) raised $550K, bringing her total this cycle to $2.3M, and she has $1.8M on hand. Among the Republicans, Houston homebuilder Wesley Hunt raised nearly $300K more than his nearest competitor, Bellaire accountant Cindy Siegel, and he has a nearly 4-to-1 advantage in cash on hand over Houston crime victim advocate Maria Espinoza. Both Espinoza and Siegel have loan principals just above $200K.
CD10: The three Democrats in the race collectively out-raised U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin), who raised $378K, but the incumbent has a better than 2-to-1 advantage in cash on hand over any of them. Among the Democrats, Austin physician Pritesh Gandhi out-raised Austin attorney Shannon Hutcheson, $257K to $216K, and they each have just over $450K on hand. Austin attorney Mike Siegel, the 2018 nominee, raised $96K and has $152K on hand.
CD11 open: San Angelo rancher August Pfluger out-raised the Republican field, $522K to $309K, and he has $1M on hand, more than $900K more than his nearest rival, Midland business owner Brandon Batch, whose $175K in contributions exceeded the rest of the Republican field. Odessa Christian nonprofit founder Jamie Berryhill ($73K raised, $79K on hand), former Midland council member J. Ross Lacy ($34K raised, $53K on hand) and Midland accountant J.D. Faircloth ($26K raised, $70K on hand) are the next tier of candidates.
Chris
Putnam
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger
CD12: U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) raised $414K during the quarter, bringing her total for the cycle to $1.4M, and has $774K on hand. Her lone primary challenger, former Colleyville council member Chris Putnam, raised $80K, which represents an 61% drop from the third quarter, and has $407K on hand.
CD13 open: Canyon government affairs professional Josh Winegarner raised $345K, nearly three times the amount reported by the rest of the Republican field combined, and he has $282K on hand. Wichita Falls real estate investor Chris Ekstrom was third in contributions with $31K, but a $500K loan balance gives him $176K on hand, easily second best in the field. Former Amarillo council member Elaine Hays raised $48K and has $31K on hand. Amarillo physician Ronny Jackson raised $30K and has $26K on hand.
CD17 open: Pflugerville aerospace business owner George Hindman out-raised the Republican field, $406K to $269K, and his $261K on hand leads the 12-candidate primary field. Three other candidates raised at least $69K and have at least $100K on hand: former U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions ($76K raised, $220K on hand), Waco homebuilder Scott Bland ($97K raised, $107K on hand) and College Station real estate investor Elianor Vessali ($70K raised, $114K on hand). Waco surgeon Renee Swann’s $156K loan principal gives her $158K on hand, and College Station naval officer Trent Sutton raised $22K and has $73K on hand.
CD21: Democratic challenger Wendy Davis out-raised U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Austin), $910K to $383K, and she has out-raised him for the cycle, $1.85M to $1.6M. Each has $1.2M on hand.
CD22 open: At first glance, Houston business developer Kathaleen Wall nearly out-raised her 14 Republican rivals, but more than 99% of her $1M in contributions came from herself. Wall spent nearly $1.5M during the quarter, accounting for 79% of all Republican spending. Sugar Land nonprofit executive Pierce Bush raised $663K and has $641K on hand. The next tier is Fort Bend Co. Sheriff Troy Nehls, who raised $209K and has $129K on hand, and Pearland attorney Greg Hill with $128K in contributions and $178K on hand. No other Republican has more than $20K on hand.
On the Democratic side, 2018 nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni raised $321K, 10 times the amount raised by any of his three rivals, and he has $662K on hand, more than 17 times that of his nearest challenger, former Pearland council member Derrick Reed ($28K raised, $38K on hand).
CD23 open: 2018 Democratic nominee Gina Oritz Jones raised $828K, bringing her total for the cycle to nearly $2.5M, and she has more than $2M on hand, an amount that exceeds all but three incumbents. Among the Republicans seeking to hold the seat, San Antonio retired Navy cryptologist Tony Gonzales II is an order of magnitude ahead of the field with $218K raised and $267K on hand.
CD24 open: Judging on campaign resources alone, each party’s primary race is essentially between two candidates. Former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne out-raised the rest the field, but Dallas real estate agent Sunny Chaparala’s ability to self-fund has kept her competitive. Van Duyne raised $243K and has $435K on hand. Chaparala has a $372K loan balance and $301K on hand. Among the Democrats, Mineral Wells nonprofit director Kim Olson ($294K raised, $505K on hand) and Carrollton educator Candace Valenzuela ($131K raised, $142K on hand) easily lead the field. Dallas attorney Crystal Fletcher has the third-highest cash on hand total ($56K), but she has suspended her campaign.
CD25: The two Democrats seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Austin) are waging a competitive battle. Austin health care finance executive and 2018 nominee Julie Oliver has out-raised Austin farmer Heidi Sloan, $101K to $80K, and has a $130K to $82K advantage in cash on hand. Williams raised $265K and has $1.4M on hand.
Jessica
Cisneros
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar
CD28: Laredo immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros out-raised U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo), $507K to $431K, but the incumbent has a nearly 5-to-1 edge in cash on hand, $2.9M to $615K. Cuellar also outspent his rival, $737K to $183K, for the quarter. These figures do not include large amounts of outside cash pouring into the race on both sides.
CD31: U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock) raised $203K and has $774K on hand. Leander physician Christine Mann led the Democratic field with $75K in contributions ($171K for the cycle) and $68K in expenditures. She has $46K on hand, a distant second behind Cedar Park tech entrepreneur Donna Imam, who has $187K on hand after raising $47K during the quarter. Round Rock real estate broker Tammy Young raised $50K and has $36K on hand. No other Democrat raised more than $30K or has more than $15K on hand.
CD32: U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) raised $663K and has $1.9M on hand, but he was out-raised by the Republican field. Dallas education technology business owner Genevieve Collins out-raised Dallas author Floyd McLendon Jr., $338K to $287K, and she has a $787K to $158K advantage in cash on hand. Collins has out-raised McLendon, $815K to $333K, for the cycle.
CD35: U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s (D-Austin) war chest of $4.8M trails only Gov. Greg Abbott ($33.6M), Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick ($13.4M), U.S. Sen. John Cornyn ($12.1M), Sen. John Whitmire ($8.7M), and Comp. Glenn Hegar ($7.1M).
CD36: U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Woodville) out-raised his lone primary opponent, Houston former police officer R.J. Boatman, $173K to $53K, and he has a $1.0M to $72K advantage in cash on hand.
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