Republicans dominate fundraising in final weeks of Texas House battles

Republican candidates in competitive Texas House races are outraising their Democratic opponents by lopsided margins, according to a new round of campaign finance reports that show a major resource advantage for GOP legislative candidates heading into Election Day.

The cash infusion is helping Republican House nominees pay for more TV and online ads, direct mail, canvassing and polling in the closing weeks of the campaign, as the GOP looks to protect several of its vulnerable incumbents and perhaps even expand its majority in Austin.

Across a dozen of the most competitive state House districts in Texas, Republicans raked in more than $11 million over the last month, compared to the nearly $3.5 million collectively raised by their Democratic counterparts. In all but two of those districts, GOP nominees outraised their Democratic foes by a ratio of more than 3-to-1 — much of it coming in the form of what are known as in-kind contributions, or when donors pay for ads, mailers or other campaign functions on a candidate’s behalf.

The latest reports, covering campaign spending and fundraising activity from late September through Saturday, continued to reveal a decisive financial edge for Republicans in three Democrat-controlled state House districts in South Texas, where GOP nominees Denise Villalobos and Don McLaughlin, Jr., are angling for the seats left open by retiring Democratic Reps. Abel Herrero of Robstown and Tracy King of Uvalde. Both Republicans have consistently outraised their respective Democratic opponents, Solomon Ortiz, Jr. and Cecilia Castellano, in recent months.




https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/29/texas-house-fundraising-campaign-finance-republicans/