Jolly received 52 percent of the vote, defeating Eric Bowlin by only 354 ballots. Plesa defeated her challenger, Cassandra Hernandez, with 55 percent.
Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Jolly while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsed Bowlin. It was one of a handful of races in which the governor and the senator made competing endorsements. Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) also endorsed Bowlin.
Not only did she have the governor’s endorsement, Jolly also had a fundraising advantage.
In the most recent campaign finance report, Jolly reported $273,000 in contributions compared to Bowlin’s reported $18,000. He also recorded $292,000 in outstanding loans while Jolly reported no campaign debt. Jolly had $88,000 in cash on hand and spent $96,000, and Bowlin had $29,000 in cash on hand and spent $152,000.
Plesa won the nomination despite raising less money than Hernandez.
The Democratic nominee reported $29,000 in campaign contributions while Hernandez reported $118,000. Plesa reported $45,000 in campaign debt, but Hernandez had no outstanding loans.
Plesa also recorded $14,000 in cash on hand and $67,000 in expenditures while Hernandez had $25,000 in cash on hand and $114,000 in expenses.
The victor advanced to the runoff by only 29 votes when she and Hernandez defeated Lorenzo Sanchez.
According to The Texan’s Texas Partisan Index, the district is considered a toss-up based on past election results.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
