State candidates (and local candidates where required) on the May 22 primary runoff election ballot were required to file their runoff reports on Monday. Most of them became available online today. These reports disclose contributions received and expenditures made between February 25 and May 12.
Overall, runoff candidates for statewide office, the Legislature and the Board of Education raised $4.3M and spent $3.3M for the period. For the election cycle to date, the candidates have raised $8.1M and spent $7.4M. Collectively, they have raised more than half of their total contributions since the primary election.
Republicans
The 14 candidates in the Republican legislative runoffs raised a combined $3.3M and spent $2.5M for the period. Empower Texans PAC ($755K) was the single largest contributor to these candidates, accounting for 23% of all funds raised, and the Texas Right to Life PAC ($246K) was also one of the most significant donors this period. Two PACs with significant support from Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio), Associated Republicans of Texas ($383K) and Texas House Leadership Fund ($199K), combined to account for 18% of all contributions received by Republican legislative runoff candidates.
HD4 open: Forney rancher Keith Bell out-raised former Rep. Stuart Spitzer (R-Kaufman), $274K to $232K, and outspent him, $516K to $156K. Bell loaned himself an additional $278K, bringing his total loan balance to $438K.
Bell’s largest contributors for the period were Texas House Leadership Fund ($53K), Associated Republicans of Texas ($52K), Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND ($40K), Texas Assoc. of Realtors TREPAC ($20K), Life PAC ($13K) and San Antonio grocery executive Charles Butt ($10K).
Spitzer’s single largest contributor for the period was Empower Texans PAC ($153K), which accounted for nearly two thirds of his contributions. His other largest donors were Flower Mound retiree Darlene Pendery ($25K), Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC ($15K) and Texas Right to Life PAC ($10K).
HD8 open: Corsicana businessman Thomas McNutt out-raised Palestine real estate broker Cody Harris, $503K to $467K, and outspent him, $386K to $301K, for the period. For the election cycle, McNutt has out-raised Harris, $1.0M to $801K.
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McNutt
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McNutt’s single largest contributor was Empower Texans PAC, which gave just over $300K and accounted for nearly 60% of his contributions. His other largest donors were Texas Right to Life PAC ($95K), Flower Mound retiree Darlene Pendery ($25K), the Mayes Middleton campaign ($24K) and the Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford) campaign ($11K).
Harris’s largest contributors for the period were Associated Republicans of Texas ($95K), Texas Assoc. of Realtors TREPAC ($72K), Texas House Leadership Fund ($68K), Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND ($40K), San Antonio grocery executive Charles Butt ($15K), Texas Medical Assoc. TEXPAC ($15K), Life PAC ($13K) and Dallas oil executive Ray Hunt ($10K).
HD13 open: Because of the recent special election, the period covered by runoff reports for this race was April 26 to May 12. For this abbreviated period, Bellville businesswoman Jill Wolfskill out-raised former Grimes County Judge Ben Leman, $118K to $107K, and outspent him, $93K to $85K.
Wolfskill’s largest contributors for the period were Empower Texans PAC ($50K), Texas Right to Life PAC ($21K), Houston retiree Holloway Frost ($20K), Texans for Toll-Free Highways ($11K) and Rep. Jonathan Stickland’s (R-Bedford) campaign ($10K). These five donors combined provided 95% of Wolfskill’s contributions during the period.
Leman’s largest contributors for the period were Associated Republicans of Texas ($36K), Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC ($32K), Texas Assoc. of Realtors TREPAC ($15K) and Texas House Leadership Fund ($10K). These four donors supplied 87% of Leman’s contributions during the period.
HD54: Rep. Scott Cosper (R-Killeen) out-raised Salado veterinarian Brad Buckley, $237K to $54K, and outspent him, $143K to $46K. Buckley’s largest single contributor was the National Cutting Horse Assoc. Texas Events PAC ($25K). His support otherwise came mostly from individuals giving less than $1K, mostly from outside the district.
HD62 open: Sherman attorney Reggie Smith out-raised Van Alstyne electrical engineer Brent Lawson, $214K to $165K, for the period, but Lawson outspent Smith, $130K to $61K.
Smith’s largest contributors for the period included Associated Republicans of Texas ($43K), Texas House Leadership Fund ($35K), Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND ($28K), Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC ($20K), Texas Assoc. of Realtors TREPAC ($14K), San Antonio grocery executive Charles Butt ($10K) and Dallas oil executive Ray Hunt ($10K)
Lawson’s largest contributors for the period included Empower Texans PAC ($78K), Texas Right to Life PAC ($50K) and Flower Mound retiree Darlene Pendery ($25K). Those three donors combined supplied 93% of Lawson’s contributions for the period.
HD107 open: Mesquite attorney Deanna Metzger out-raised Dallas aviation account executive Joe Ruzicka, $102K to $51K, and outspent him, $92K to $25K, for the period.
Metzger’s largest contributors were Empower Texans PAC ($46K), Flower Mound retiree Darlene Pendery ($25K) and Texas Right to Life PAC ($20K). Those three donors combined supplied 89% of Metzger’s contributions for the period.
Ruzicka’s single largest contributor was Associated Republicans of Texas ($18K). He raised a little over $8K from district zip codes.
HD121 open: San Antonio attorney Steve Allison out-raised San Antonio cybersecurity business owner Matt Beebe, $490K to $246K, and outspent him, $323K to $156K, for the period.
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Beebe
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Allison
Allison’s largest contributors for the period were Associated Republicans of Texas ($139K), Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC ($70K), Texas House Leadership Fund ($33K), San Antonio grocery executive Charles Butt ($25K), Austin government affairs executive Mark Lehman ($15K), Texas Assoc. of Realtors TREPAC ($14K) and Dallas oil businessman Ray Hunt ($10K).
Beebe’s single largest contributor was Empower Texans PAC ($128K), which by itself supplied more than half of Beebe’s total contributions for the period. His other largest contributors were Texas Right to Life PAC ($50K), Flower Mound retiree Darlene Pendery ($25K) and Austin retiree Stacy Hock ($15K).
Democrats
The 20 Democratic runoff candidates seeking statewide, legislative and Board of Education offices collectively raised just over $1M during the period.
GOV: Lupe Valdez out-raised Andrew White, $208K to $179K, but White outspent Valdez, $167K to $88K, for the period. We are basing Valdez’s numbers on a campaign statement that a corrected report will be filed reducing her contribution total to $208K from $289K. The candidates were out-raised by three pairs of Republican state House runoff candidates (HD4, HD8, HD121). White reported having $981K on hand, which is more than he has spent so far this election cycle ($688K).
HD37: Rep. Rene Oliveira (D-Brownsville) out-raised Alex Dominguez, $126K to $18K, and outspent him, $110K to $51K, for the period. Oliveira has a $57K to $6K advantage in cash on hand.
HD46 open: Austin attorney and former council member Sheryl Cole out-raised Austin attorney Chito Vela, $135K to $58K, and outspent him, $87K to $60K, for the period. For the election cycle, Cole has out-raised Vela by nearly $200K.
HD109 open: Former DeSoto Mayor Carl Sherman Sr. raised $42K and spent $44K during the period. His runoff opponent, DeSoto insurance business owner and council member Deshaundra Lockhart Jones raised less than $100 and reported no expenditures.
©2018 Texas Election Source LLC
