Highlights of State Campaign Finance Reports

Most of 2019’s early money went to the 2022 ballot.

July semiannual campaign finance reports were due yesterday (Monday) for state officeholders and candidates, including legislators and those running against them, and generally became available online today (Tuesday). They cover contributions received and expenditures made during the first six months of 2019. For incumbents, those contributions could be received only during a 14-day window at the end of June, except for a handful of legislators who won special elections earlier this year.

Nearly $26M was given to state officeholders, legislators and candidates during the first half of the year. Statewide officials not on the ballot in 2020 accounted for $18.7M of it – 72% of the total. Our Crib Sheets have been fully updated with the latest campaign finance numbers. We covered federal offices’ July quarterly reports yesterday.

Statewide Offices

Statewide officials actually on the ballot in 2020 were led by Railroad Comm. Ryan Sitton ($539K in contributions), Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby ($489K) and Chief Justice Nathan Hecht ($284K). Sitton was out-raised by fellow Comm. Christi Craddick ($559K), who is not up for re-election until 2024, but his $1.9M cash-on-hand total exceeds Craddick’s ($1.6M).

GOV: Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is not on the ballot until 2022, was responsible for 47% of all funds raised by all statewide and legislative candidates, including challengers. He raised $12.1M during the last 14 days of June, including $1M donations from Midland oil and gas executive Javaid Anwar and Doss ranchers Michael and Mary Porter. Abbott has $27.1M on hand, nearly as much as the entire U.S. House delegation from Texas ($29.3M).

Abbott has raised $89.5M since becoming Governor in 2015, which puts him just $20.7M behind the total amount Rick Perry raised as Governor between 2001 and 2015. Across all statewide offices they’ve held, going as far back as campaign finance records exist(ed) online, Abbott has out-raised Perry, $179M to $133M. Abbott’s $27.1M cash-on-hand total is just the 12th highest in state history, trailing 11 other Abbott totals. His current cash on hand exceeds Perry’s highest-ever reported total by $15.4M.

Since 2013, Abbott has raised $148M. His reported cash on hand totals have exceeded $20M for every reporting period except for just before and after the 2014 general election, the end of the 2015 legislative session and just after the 2018 general election.

LTGOV: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who is not on the ballot until 2022, raised $3.1M – 12% of all funds raised by statewide and legislative candidates – and has $11M on hand. His cash-on-hand figure is the sixth highest ever reported by a Lt. Governor, trailing five other Patrick reports. Patrick has raised $33.1M since becoming Lt. Governor in 2015.

AG: Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton raised $1.4M and has $3.5M on hand.

COMP: Comptroller Glenn Hegar raised $836K and has $6.3M on hand.

SC7: Justice Jeff Boyd (R), who is up for re-election in 2020, raised $197K and has $491K on hand. Announced Democratic challenger Brandy Voss raised $138K and has $214K on hand.

Senate

Senators on the ballot in 2020 and announced challengers collectively raised $843K, nearly half of which was raised by Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lake Travis). Sens. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) and Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) reported no contributions, but Creighton ($869K) and Nelson ($1.5M) have large cash balances. Flores has $199K on hand. Rep. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio), who unsuccessfully sought the SD19 seat in a 2018 special election, raised $108K and has $119K on hand.

The most interesting set of numbers comes from SD27, where longtime Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-San Benito) raised less than $5K and has less than $50K on hand, which could be a sign that Lucio may be retiring. Despite those low numbers, his announced primary challenger Sara Stapleton-Barrera raised just over $4K and has less than $1K on hand.

House of Representatives

HD25: Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) raised $1K, spent almost $4M and has $669K on hand. Bonnen’s campaign contributed $3M to the new Texas Leads PAC, for which he was its sole contributor for the period. Bonnen’s announced primary challenger, Rhonda Seth, raised $14K and has $8K on hand.

HD26: Democratic challenger Rish Oberoi ($53K) and Republican primary challenger Jacey Jetton ($26K) each raised more than the $20K received by Rep. Rick Miller (R-Sugar Land), who reported having just $7K on hand, far less than either Jetton ($55K) or Oberoi ($47K).

HD45: Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Dripping Springs) was out-raised by Republican challengers Carrie Isaac ($103K) and Kent “Bud” Wymore ($63K). Zwiener’s $28K cash-on-hand figure trails Isaac ($94K) and Wymore ($61K). Isaac’s funds came mostly from small donations. Her largest contributors were Dripping Springs executive Robert Seale ($20K), Rep. Mayes Middleton ($5K) and former Rep. Jason Isaac ($3K), her husband.

HD47: Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) raised $17K, which was less than each of her five announced Republican challengers. Don Zimmerman ($38K), Jenny Forgey ($37K), Justin Berry ($26K), Aaron Reitz ($23K) and Jennifer Fleck ($19K) collectively out-raised Goodwin, $143K to $17K. All six candidates have between $23K and $39K on hand.

HD59: Primary challenger Cody Johnson out-raised Rep. J.D. Sheffield (R-Gatesville), $66K to $9K, and Johnson has a $301K to $78K advantage in cash on hand, backed by a $250K loan. His largest contributors were Twisted Chicks LLC ($25K) and Stephenville horse breeder Charlie Buchanan ($23K). The other announced primary challenger, Shelby Slawson, raised less than $1K but has $48K on hand because of a $50K loan.

HD97: Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth) raised $73K and has $481K on hand. Announced Democratic challenger Elizabeth Beck raised $41K and has $22K on hand.

HD108: Nearly a half a million dollars has already flowed into HD108. Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas) was out-raised by Democratic challenger Shawn Terry, $235K to $156K, and they both have nearly identical cash-on-hand totals of $192K and $193K, respectively. Terry had the highest contribution total for any non-incumbent and arguably had the highest contribution total for the period. The only higher total – Rep. Mayes Middleton’s (R-Wallisville) $300K – was almost entirely self-funded. Terry’s largest contributors were Dallas retiree Gregory Alexander ($25K), Dallas venture capitalist Cameron Chalmers ($10K), Dallas real estate investor Morgan Cox ($10K) and Dallas venture capitalist David Muzzo ($10K). The other two announced Democratic challengers, Joanna Cattanach and Tom Ervin, raised $64K and $42K, respectively.

HD114: Republican challenger Luisa Del Rosal out-raised Rep. John Turner (D-Dallas), $161K to $35K, but the incumbent has the advantage in cash on hand, $210K to $152K. Del Rosal’s largest contributors were Dallas real estate developer Harlan Crow ($50K), Dallas homemaker Jeanne Cox ($10K) and Dallas auto dealer Carl Sewell ($10K).

HD134: Democratic challenger Ann Johnson out-raised Rep. Sarah Davis (R-Houston), $131K to $25K, but trails the incumbent in cash on hand, $203K to $119K. Johnson’s largest contributor was Houston attorney Amber Mostyn ($15K).

HD135: Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston) was out-raised by each of his announced Republican challengers, and he has less on hand than either of them. Mark McCaig raised $52K and has $75K on hand. Justin Ray raised $36K and has $27K on hand. Rosenthal raised $10K and has $13K on hand.

HD138: Democratic challenger Josh Wallenstein out-raised Rep. Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston), $54K to $27K, and has the advantage on cash on hand, $53K to $28K. The other announced Democratic challenger, Akilah Bacy, raised $21K and has $21K on hand.

HD147: Rep. Garnet Coleman contributed $300K to the Thinking Is Underrated PAC, leaving him with $155K on hand. Coleman reported no contributions, and he is the sole contributor to that PAC.

©2019 Texas Election Source LLC