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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke raised a $ 27.6 million apology from late February to June, defeating Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and setting a new record for campaign fundraising in Texas .
O’Rourke’s campaign announced the haul on Friday morning, followed by Abbott’s announcement of $ 24.9 million over the same period. O’Rourke’s $ 27.6 million is the largest ever state-run candidate in Texas in a reporting period.
Still, Abbott maintains a decisive cash advantage. His campaign said it had $ 45.7 million in cash since June 30. O’Rourke’s campaign did not release that figure, but had $ 6.8 million in the bank since mid-February.
Candidates are ready to formally disclose the latest finances of their campaign on a report it has later Friday to the Texas Ethics Commission. It will cover from 20 February to 30 June.
O’Rourke’s haul came from more than 511,000 contributions, 98.9% of which came online, according to O’Rourke’s campaign. The average donation was $ 54.
By comparison, Abbott’s campaign said “almost” 113,000 contributions. The campaign added that “almost 86% came from within Texas.”
The most recent fundraising period saw at least two major events that energized Democrats, including the May shooting at the Uvalde school in May and then the Supreme Court ruling. United that overturned Roe v. Wade in June. O’Rourke alluded to those events in a statement announcing his fundraiser.
“We are receiving support from people all over Texas who want to work together to ensure that our state goes beyond the extremism of Greg Abbott and ultimately leads in great jobs, first class schools. the ability to see a doctor, keep our children safe and protect a woman’s freedom to make her own decisions about her body, health care and her future, ”said O’Rourke. in a statement.
Abbott’s campaign has expressed confidence after its fundraising numbers were released.
“As we move into the heat of the summer campaign, we are well positioned to fund all of our campaign efforts,” Abbott’s campaign chairman Gardner Pate said in a statement. “Our campaign also pre-purchased more than $ 20 million in advertising for the fall, and began funding an extensive block-walking program for voters to vote in November.”
The campaign confirmed that its June 30 cash figure – $ 45.7 million – takes into account the $ 20 million in ad time.
O’Rourke’s $ 27.6 million haul is historic. For comparison, Abbott is the most powerful fundraiser the state has seen in modern times, and its best reporting periods so far have not raised $ 20 million in contributions.
Abbott’s campaign sought to set high expectations for O’Rourke’s fundraising during a call with reporters Wednesday. Abbott chief strategist Dave Carney predicted O’Rourke would report raising $ 30 million. Carney declined to say whether Abbott would raise that number, but said $ 30 million “will be a historic number, a kick-ass for Beto.”
Abbott’s campaign has long made it clear that it plans to avoid spending on the race, and predicts it will spend more than $ 100 million in total.
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