Beto O’Rourke raises $7.2 million since launching campaign for governor, saying it’s a record for Texas Democrats
“Beto O’Rourke raises $7.2 million since launching campaign for governor, saying it’s a record for Texas Democrats” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke raised over $7.2 million in the first month and a half of his campaign for governor, according to his campaign.
The money came from more than 115,600 contributions made over 46 days — Nov. 15 through Dec. 31 — the campaign said. It touted that “no Democratic campaign in the state’s history has raised more money during the opening days of their race.”
Eighty percent of the money was raised online, campaign officials said.
The campaign revealed the figures Tuesday morning, hours before the deadline to report them to the Texas Ethics Commission. Candidates are required to disclose their fundraising for the last six months of 2021.
The latest fundraising number includes $2 million that his campaign said O’Rourke collected within 24 hours of announcing his run.
O’Rourke is going up against a fundraising juggernaut in GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, who had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. O’Rourke, meanwhile, is starting his fundraising from scratch, but his reputation precedes him: He proved a fundraising phenom during his 2018 run against Sen. Ted Cruz when he raised more than $80 million.
Abbott’s campaign has not announced yet how much money he will report raising over the six-month period. However, his campaign already reported raising $9.5 million on a series of reports that were due around the three, roughly month-long special legislative sessions that occurred during the half-year period.
“While Abbott is taking million-dollar checks from the CEOs who profited off of the grid collapse, we’re receiving support from people all over Texas who want to ensure that our state finally leads in great jobs, world class schools and the ability to see a doctor,” O’Rourke said in a statement.
Both O’Rourke and Abbott have to get through March primaries before they can face one another in November. O’Rourke faces little serious competition, while Abbott has a group of challengers including former state Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas and former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West.
Huffines announced Monday that he has “raised” $12 million since launching his bid in May, suggesting he’ll report roughly $3 million in donations for the latest six-month period. However, his campaign did not volunteer any details about whether his next report will reflect any self-funding, which made up more than half the $9.1 million he touted as his fundraising on the last six-month report, which went through June.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/18/beto-orourke-fundraising-governor/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.