The Texas Democratic Party’s federal account raised more than three times as much money as the Republican Party of Texas in the final weeks leading up to the General Election.
According to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, the Texas Democratic Party raised just under $6 million between September 1 and October 14. The Republican Party of Texas raised just under $2 million during that same time period.
The Democrats’ massive fundraising haul was made possible by Senate candidate James Talarico, whose campaign donated over $2 million to the Party. The Talarico Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee that includes the Talarico campaign and the Texas Democratic Party, sent an additional $2 million to the Party since September.
National Democratic groups also invested heavily in Texas Democrats, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sending $575,000 to the Party.
North Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne was the largest donor to the Texas GOP’s federal account during this time period, sending $595,000 to the Party. Team Paxton, a fundraising committee associated with Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s campaign, gave the Republican Party of Texas $531,398. The Republican National Committee transferred $303,360 to the State Party.
The Democrats’ strong fundraising has allowed them to build a much larger staff than the Texas GOP. The Texas Democratic Party’s campaign finance reports reflected approximately 188 staffers on its payroll as of October 9, while the Texas GOP’s report showed approximately 21 employees as of October 14.
Direct mail was a major expenditure for both Parties. Democrats reported spending over $4.3 million on coordinated direct mail to help several candidates, with nearly $3 million going to assist James Talarico. The Texas GOP reported $671,809.44 in “volunteer mail” expenditures. The campaign finance filings did not identify the candidates listed on those mailers.
As of October 14, the Texas Democratic Party reported slightly more cash on hand than the Texas GOP, with Democrats showing just over $1.14 million in the bank compared to just under $800,000 for the Republican Party of Texas.
