Campaign Finance

Second in an occasional series Reform Austin has reported extensively on the nexus of special interest campaign money and its impact on state legislation. Millions of...

With Election Day a week away, the Texas Ethics Commission recently released the four candidates’ 8-day campaign finance filings, the last required report before the February 12th election.

When State Representative Joe Pickett (D- El Paso) announced his resignation from the Texas Legislature just prior to the start of the 86th session, a vacancy opened in Texas House District 79.

Collectively, Senate members have maintained over $30.9 million in contributions entering the regular session, according to the latest campaign finance filings.

Collectively, House members have maintained $33.7 million entering the regular session, led by Speaker Bonnen who maintains $4.5 million in contributions, 83 percent of which came in the weeks following his press conference on Nov. 12 announcing he had secured the votes to become Speaker.

With Abbott just inaugurated for a second full term, questions about donor influence and the culture of pay-to-play are once again a top concern in the quest for better governance.

The four candidates vying for Texas’ Senate District 6 seat have each filed their final campaign finance reports, due eight days ahead of the December 11 Special Election date. Here’s how much money the candidates in the special election race have raised:

Reform Austin takes a look at the personal financial statements of the two leading candidates in the special election for State Senate District 6.

Political fundraising for Texas politicians is prohibited from December 8th to June 17, 2019.

Incumbents in the top state races have outraised their challengers, according to the latest campaign filings.