Texas governor race: Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott campaigns raise more than $20M each in 4 months
Gov. Greg Abbott raised $24.9 million in the latest campaign finance period, just a few million shy of Beto O'Rourke's $27.6 million from late February through June, both campaigns announced Friday.
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott raised $24.9 million in the latest campaign finance period, just a few million shy of Beto O'Rourke's $27.6 million from late February through June, both campaigns announced Friday.
Friday marks the deadline for candidates to disclose their latest campaign finance reports covering Feb. 20 through June 30, per Texas Ethics Commission rules.
O’Rourke’s campaign did not release his latest cash-on-hand numbers, but the incumbent reported $46 million total cash-on-hand. In the last quarter, Abbott had $49.8 million in his war chest, compared to the $6.8 million O'Rourke's campaign had to spend.
“As we move into the heat of the summer campaign, we’re well positioned to fund all our campaign efforts,” said Gardner Pate, Abbott's campaign chair. "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. Abbott’s support comes from a wide variety of Texans all across the Lone Star State."
O'Rourke's haul came from 511,000 donors, with contributions averaging around $54, his campaign said.
Two major events during the four-month fundraising period likely catalyzed the Democratic voter base in favor of O'Rourke, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde.
“We’re receiving support from people in every part of Texas who want to work together to ensure our state moves beyond Greg Abbott’s extremism and finally leads in great jobs, world class schools, the ability to see a doctor, keeping our kids safe and protecting a woman’s freedom to make her own decisions about her own body, health care and future," the Democratic candidate said in a statement.
O'Rourke's numbers for this quarter set a new fundraising record in Texas politics.
In a call with reporters Wednesday, Abbott's chief strategist Dave Carney predicted their campaign would raise $100 million total. The governor's campaign has already vowed to spend nearly $20 million in advertisements leading up to November.
Starting next week, O'Rourke will kick off a 49-day tour crossing the state. He will also headline the Texas Democratic Convention in Dallas Friday night.
There are less than four months until early voting starts ahead of Election Day on Nov. 8.