With eight-day reports out this week, we present an abridged version of the topline fundraising numbers for the major-party candidates in the contests featured in the Texas Weekly Hotlist. We are focusing specifically on the four races we consider “the hottest of the hot” — SD-10, HD-23, HD-105 and HD-94.
One takeaway is apparent from these figures. SD-10 and HD-23, reckoned the two most purely swing districts in the Legislature, are both seeing a tremendous amount of late money flowing into those races. The political arm of the tort reform group, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, dropped nearly $1 million into the campaign of Konni Burton, the Republican candidate in SD-10. The group spent an additional $335,000 on the campaign of Wayne Faircloth, the Republican candidate in HD-23.
The Democratic candidates in those swing districts are getting their biggest contributions from trial lawyers and also from Annie’s List, a group dedicated to electing Democratic woman legislators. Libby Willis, who is runnig in SD-10, received $350,000 from the law firm of Democratic superdonor Steve Mostyn and another $255,000 from the trial lawyer-funded Texans for Insurance Reform. She received another $230,000 from Annie’s List.
Susan Criss in HD-23 had a similar mix of contributions from Mostyn, trial lawyers and Annie’s List.
In each race, we include the topline numbers and top three donors from the eight-day report, which collects fundraising activity from Sept. 26 through Oct. 25. We also include significant contributions included in telegram reports for contributions made after the Oct. 25 cutoff.
SD-10:
Libby Willis (D)
Contributions: $ 1,076,141.78 Expenditures: $ 1,171,548.32
Cash on Hand: $ 92,377.72
Top 3 Donors: Mostyn Law Firm — $350,000; Texans for Insurance Reform — $255,508; Annie’s List — $230,000
Late contributions of note: Don Henley — $10,000; Planned Parenthood Texas Votes PAC — $6,626.80
Konni Burton (R)
Contributions: $ 1,513,935.55 Expenditures: $ 745,880.53
Cash on Hand: $ 214,098.20
Top 3 Donors: Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC — $656,235; W.E. Borsarge Jr., David Weekley and Tim Dunn — $100,000
Late contributions of note: Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC — $302,162.55; Texans for Education Reform PAC — $25,000; Associated Republicans of Texas — $25,000
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HD-23:
Susan Criss (D)
Contributions: $ 212,560.64 Expenditures: $ 384,920.28
Cash on Hand: $ 23,766.24
Top 3 Donors: Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC — $76,651.12; Mostyn Law Firm — $50,000; Annie’s List — $25,000
Late contributions of note: Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC — $25,000; House Democratic Campaign Committee — $10,000
Wayne Faircloth (R)
Contributions: $ 576,867.68 Expenditures: $ 174,468.04
Cash on Hand: $ 142,668.91
Top 3 Donors: Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC — $225,000; Associated Republicans of Texas — $190,195.72; Dick Weekley — $45,000
Late contributions of note: Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC — $109,355.90; Farmers Employee and Agent PAC of Texas — $10,000
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HD-105:
Rodney Anderson (R)
Contributions: $ 144,016.28 Expenditures: $ 72,396.00
Cash on Hand: $ 87,438.33
Top 3 Donors: Republican Party of Texas — $30,430.89; Associated Republicans of Texas — $25,000; Texas Association of Realtors PAC — $16,329.83
Late contributions of note: Associated Republicans of Texas — $10,000
Susan Motley (D)
Contributions: $ 112,093.94 Expenditures: $ 69,597.01
Cash on Hand: $ 50,442.45
Top 3 Donors: Annie’s List — $15,427; Texans for Insurance Reform — $10,757.29; Texas Organizing Project PAC — $10,659.91
Late contributions of note: House Democratic Campaign Committee — $1,000
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HD-94:
Tony Tinderholt (R)
Contributions: $ 22,272.69 Expenditures: $ 8,699.82
Cash on Hand: $ 18,790.59
Top 3 Donors: Bill Zedler — $2,700; Republican Party of Texas — $2,500; Andy Nguyen — $1,200
Cole Ballweg (D)
Contributions: $ 37,476.74 Expenditures: $ 14,800.37
Cash on Hand: $ 29,868.79
Top 3 Donors: Texas Parent PAC — $13,240.85; Robert Patton — $5,000; Arlington Professional Fire Fighters Association PAC — $4,698.89
Late contributions of note: Advertising Concepts Enterprises (in-kind) — $5,672.42; Texas Hospital Association PAC — $3,000; Charles Butt, House Democratic Campaign Committee — $2,500
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