Big money shaping GOP primaries for Texas attorney general, comptroller

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Texas’ first open GOP primaries for attorney general and comptroller in a decade are on the horizon, and both races are shaping up to be big money battles.

In the race for attorney general, former Department of Justice lawyer Aaron Reitz raised $2.1 million in the first three weeks of his campaign, outpacing the combined haul of his two GOP primary rivals, state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton. But Middleton, an oil and gas businessman, kicked in $10 million of his own money, giving him a massive financial edge to start the race. Huffman raised nearly $764,000, mostly from her establishment Republican base in Houston, leaving her with $3 million in her campaign account.

For comptroller, Republican Texas Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick outraised Kelly Hancock, the interim comptroller, by almost $1.5 million — though Hancock reported having more cash on hand. A third contender, former state senator Don Huffines, previously announced an eye-popping $15 million haul for the fundraising period, though his filing with the state ethics commission showed $10 million of that came from a personal loan. He otherwise reported raising $4.7 million, a total that included a $3 million contribution from his brother.

The reports provide the first glimpse of the financial and political fault lines that will shape these hotly contested races. The filings outline each candidate’s fundraising and spending activity over the first six months of the year, though current elected officials were under a fundraising moratorium during the legislative session that lifted June 23, giving them just eight days to raise money before the end of the reporting period.

The attorney general and comptroller seats have been held by incumbents for a decade. Three-term Attorney General Ken Paxton is leaving the office to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary, leaving a critically important vacancy for the conservative legal movement, which has relied on Paxton’s agency as its battering ram to advance right-wing causes through the courts nationally.

Former comptroller Glenn Hegar, meanwhile, was named chancellor of the Texas A&M University System in March and left his longtime elected post on July 1. The comptroller’s office, a sprawling agency that handles the state’s finances, has become even more politically important after lawmakers gave it authority to administer a new $1 billion school voucher program.

Paxton and Hegar each took office in 2015 alongside Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both of whom have announced plans to run for reelection in 2026. Neither is expected to face a competitive primary, but that didn’t stop Abbott from flexing his prodigious fundraising skills. He raised more than $20 million in just over a week, leaving him with a formidable $86 million cash on hand.

Patrick raised $5 million over the same period and has about $37 million in his campaign account.

Attorney general

When Middleton announced his candidacy for attorney general, he vowed to spend $10 million of his own money on his “campaign kickoff,” indicating he might kick in more over the course of the campaign.

This first campaign finance report shows the oil and gas executive and longtime GOP donor has made good on that promise. It’s not the first time Middleton has self-funded a campaign: He spent $2 million of his own money to unseat an incumbent House member in 2018. He was elected to the state Senate in 2022, where he’s earned a reputation as one of the body’s most conservative members.

Despite being the first serious candidate to declare, Middleton raised the least money after the moratorium lifted, bringing in just over $165,000. But he has the most money on hand, thanks to his $10 million loan, and a slew of endorsements from other members of the Legislature.

Reitz, meanwhile, came out strong with a fundraising haul of more than $2 million, fueled by several high-dollar donations from major GOP donors. He entered the race with deep connections among conservative legal circles in Texas and Washington, having previously served as Paxton’s deputy attorney general for legal strategy and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s chief of staff. Most recently, he led the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice as an appointee of President Donald Trump.

His biggest donations included $250,000 from Pennsylvania billionaire and GOP megadonor Jeff Yass, who previously kicked in $12 million to help bankroll Abbott’s efforts to unseat Texas House Republicans who opposed private school vouchers. Also among Reitz’s top donors were Gary Heavin, founder of the Curves chain of fitness centers, and Jonathan Knutz, the CEO of a medical device company.

While Reitz has less name recognition in Texas than his opponents, he’s generated vocal support from his former colleagues in the Trump administration. Close to 15% of his donors are from Washington or its suburbs, including a $75,000 donation from Keller Postman, a law firm Paxton has tapped to handle two major Texas lawsuits against tech companies.

As the only candidate not currently in office, Reitz had a two-week fundraising advantage over his opponents, helping him significantly outraise both Middleton and Huffman.

Huffman, a 17-year senator and chair of the powerful Senate finance committee, raised about $764,000 in the week after the moratorium. A former Harris County prosecutor and judge, Huffman is running on a law and order platform — focusing on her work stiffening Texas’ bail, immigration and election laws — as well as her experience overseeing the state budget and redistricting in the Texas Senate.

Her recent fundraising came from just 29 donors, primarily from Houston and its suburbs. Her largest backers were Alan Hassenflu, a commercial real estate developer who previously served on the board of the tort reform group Texans for Lawsuit Reform; beer distributor John Nau; Houston philanthropist Jan Duncan; and horseracing magnate Herbert Graham.

State Sen. Nathan Johnson, who became the first major Democrat to declare for the race on Tuesday, reported about $58,000 raised and $435,000 on hand.

Comptroller

In the comptroller’s race, Craddick — in the middle of a six-year term as railroad commissioner — raised $2.9 million, with big donations from Brint Ryan, a Republican megadonor, and Texas oil mogul Javaid Anwar. She reported having $3.2 million cash on hand.

Hancock, who until last month served in the Texas Senate before stepping down to become acting comptroller, raised $1.5 million and had $6 million in the bank. His contributions came from a variety of Abbott allies and establishment-aligned Republican donors, including a quarter-million-dollar contribution from Nau, $50,000 from Dallas pipeline billionaire Kelcy Warren and another from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow.

Huffines reported having roughly $14.4 million cash on hand. Four hundred and forty of the 552 total contributions he reported were for amounts less than $1,000. In 2022, Huffines — a businessman and GOP donor — unsuccessfully challenged Abbott for governor, during which he also self-financed part of his campaign.

The comptroller of state accounts serves as the state’s chief executive officer, treasurer and revenue estimator — and will be tasked with rolling out the state’s new private school voucher program, which was Abbott’s top priority during this year’s legislative session.

Democratic Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin, who has said she’s considering a run for the seat, reported raising $4,400 and about $24,000 cash on hand.

Disclosure: Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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