Note: This post has been updated to include additional information about Sen. Cornyn’s report.

Today (Monday) was the deadline for federal officeholders and candidates to file their April quarterly campaign finance reports, which disclose contributions received and expenditures made during the first three months of 2019. Not all reports are in as of press time. For the quarter, Texas federal officeholders and candidates raised more than $9M and spent a little over $4M.

Highlights include:

  • S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) raised just over $1M and has $7.4M on hand. Cornyn raised about $235K less than U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) did during the first quarter of 2017, but Cornyn has $2.6M more on hand than Cruz at that time in the 2018 campaign. Cruz actually out-raised Cornyn for the current quarter by $78K. Excluded from Cornyn’s contribution total is $969K in transfers from authorized committees and $46K in “other receipts,” which, if combined with contributions, would total just over $2M going into Cornyn’s principal campaign committee.
  • S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), a potential challenger for Cornyn, raised $31K and has $88K on hand, which ranks 34th among the U.S. House delegation.
  • Newly elected Democratic members Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) and Colin Allred (D-Dallas) raised $516K and $527K, respectively. Each has more than $500K on hand.
  • S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin) was out-raised by each of his two announced Democratic challengers. Pritesh Gandhi raised $162K and 2018 challenger Mike Siegel raised $123K. McCaul reported raising just $86K, but he has a less than $50K advantage in cash on hand over Gandhi and $104K advantage over Siegel.
  • S. Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Carrollton) raised $144K and reported having $1.7M on hand as he already faces five Democratic opponents. Only two filed reports so far, and they have $28K on hand combined.
  • S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-San Antonio) reported raising $289K. He has $436K on hand. U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock) posted similar numbers, raising $286K and having $474K on hand.

Among the Texas presidential contenders, former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) raised $9.3M and has $6.9M on hand, and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro raised $1.3M and has $678K on hand. O’Rourke’s hauls are roughly half of Bernie Sanders’s numbers. Sanders raised $18.1M and has $15.7M on hand.

All figures here and in our Crib Sheets show the candidates’ principal campaign committees only. Related PACs are not included because those types of fundraising committees make expenditures on non-candidate items.

CD24: Carrollton educator and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD board member Candace Valenzuela announced she would challenge U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Carrollton) as a Democrat. She is at least the fifth Democrat to enter the race.

Dallas: The Dallas Fire Fighters Assoc. endorsed council member Scott Griggs for mayor. Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News endorsed former council member Erik Wilson over incumbent D8 council member Tennell Atkins and incumbents Adam McGough and Lee Kleinman for re-election to D10 and D11, respectively.

San Antonio: The San Antonio Express-News endorsed incumbent D8 council member Manny Pelaez and incumbent D9 council member John Courage.

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