Nine GOP challengers to Democratic incumbents in competitive state House districts outraised their opponents in the last filing before the election, which covers from September 25 through October 24.
Meanwhile, only two Democratic challengers in those races outraised the Republican incumbents.
All nine seats where Republicans performed well are districts that the GOP controlled prior to 2018.
Their strong performance is thanks in large part to in-kind donations from various super PACs such as the Republican State Leadership Committee, the Associated Republicans of Texas, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, and the Greg Abbott campaign.
The nine seats include:
- House District (HD) 45, where Carrie Isaac outraised Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) by $1.06 million to $731,000;
- HD 47, where Justin Berry outraised Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) by $1.23 million to $413,000;
- HD 52, where Lucio Valdez outraised Rep. James Talarico (D-Round Rock) by $348,000 to $313,000;
- HD 65, where Kronda Thimesch outraised Rep. Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton) by $891,000 to $484,000;
- HD 102, where Linda Koop outraised Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Richardson) by $425,000 to $122,000;
- HD 113, where Will Douglas outraised Rep. Rhetta Bowers (D-Garland) by $1.31 million to $366,000;
- HD 114, where Luisa Del Rosal outraised Rep. John Turner (D-Dallas) by $438,000 to $173,000;
- HD 132, where Mike Schofield outraised Rep. Gina Calanni (D-Katy) by $1.02 million to $574,000;
- and HD 135, where Justin Ray outraised Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston) by $623,000 to $501,000.
An analysis by The Texan found that in all nine districts above, the median vote in 2016 statewide races leaned towards Republicans and then shifted toward Democrats in 2018.
The two Republican incumbents to be outraised include Reps. Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth) and Sarah Davis (R-Houston).
Krause was outraised by Lydia Bean by $644,000 to $553,000, while Davis was outraised by Ann Johnson by $697,000 to $405,000.
The other Republican members targeted by Democrats this year managed to outraise their challengers in the past month.
In the four competitive open seats that are currently held by the GOP, Republicans also fared better than the Democrats with the exception of HD 92, where Democrat Jeff Whitfield outraised Republican Jeff Cason by $462,000 to $393,000.
The three other districts include:
- HD 26, where Republican Jacey Jetton outraised Democrat L. Sarah DeMerchant by $1.2 million to $450,000;
- HD 96, where Republican David Cook outraised Democrat Joe Drago by $1.16 million to $567,000;
- and HD 138, where Republican Lacey Hull outraised Democrat Akilah Bacy by $1.15 million to $780,000.
In the most competitive state Senate race, Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) vastly outraised his Democratic challenger, Roland Gutierrez, by $1.5 million to $260,000.
The full breakdown of the campaign finance reports in the competitive districts can be found in the table below, and more information on the races can be found in The Texan’s War Room.
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Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
