Lopez Hits Gusher in Top GOP Target
as Gov's Payback Plug Not Worth Dime

Capitol Inside
October 13, 2022

Governor Greg Abbott threw his massive muscle behind Republican Robert Garza in August in a bid to oust State Senator Roland Gutierrez - a San Antonio Democrat who'd helped expose an attempt by the Department of Public Safety to cover up its failure at a mass school shooting in Uvalde during the spring.

While the prospects of payback may have been sweet for the Republican governor, the endorsement that he issued to Garza turned out to be worthless as a fundraising magnet when he failed to raise any money for the Texas Senate campaign during the past three months based on the report that he filed with the state this week. According to Texas Ethics Commission records through September 29, the former Del Rio mayor hadn't received any money from anyone since taking aim at Gutierrez in Senate District 19 last year.

But Abbott's support appears to be paying off to the south on the Rio Grande in an open Texas House race in a district where San Benito Republican Janie Lopez reaped almost $441,000 between July 1 and the end of September - more than 10 times the amount that Democratic opponent Luis Villarreal Jr. of Harlingen rounded up from donors in the same span of time.

The fundraising numbers in the House District 37 fight between Lopez and Villarreal give the appearance that the Democrats are coneding the seat after an infusion of GOP voters there during redistricting at the statehouse in Austin last fall. Democrats also appear to be tossing the towel on an open Congressional District 15 race in a dramatically gerrymandered string of the state from McAllen to Seguin near San Antonio.

The GOP hierarchy's enthusiastic backing has paid dividends for GOP State Rep. John Lujan of San Antonio in his defense of House District 118 where he corraled more than $582,000 from donors in the past three months - almost five times more than Democrat Frank Ramirez in a rematch of a special election that the incumbent won in November last year.

The meager funding for Democrats in the target contests in the RGV and Alamo City might seem somewhat surprising in light of the results of the last two elections in both places. Democrat Beto O'Rourke defeated U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in HD 37 by 8 points in 2018 before President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump there by 2 points in 2020. O'Rourke carried HD 118 by a margin of 5 points four years ago - and Biden won by 3 points there in 2020.

O'Rourke is hoping for even better results at the polls this fall when he squares off with Abbott at the polls in the marquee Texas race on the general election ballot November 8. O'Rourke raised more money in the past three months than the incumbent governor after reporting more than Abbott in the spring and early summer as well.

Democrats have made a more serious effort in an open Senate District 27 race where Democrat Morgan LaMantia has had almost 15 times more money to spend than GOP foe Adam Hinojosa thanks in large part to loans from members of her prominent South Texas family. LaMantia received an additional $1.25 million in family loans in the most recent reporting period when she pushed her total take for the race past the $5 million mark. The LaMantias as a group have been more responsible for her success in the competition for cash than a Democratic Party that's grown weaker an organization in Texas with each passing year out of power.

Democratic State Rep. Eddie Morales of Eagle Pass trails GOP challenger Kat Parker of Alpine in the donor dollar chase despite a slight edge in contributions in the most recent reporting period from July 1 to September 29. Morales and Parker raised about $86,000 and $81,000 respectively in the three-month span.

The Associated Republicans of Texas have bankrolled Parker's campaign with in-kind contributions from the group accounting for three-fourths of the funds that she raised during the period. But Parker hasn't had the Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC in her camp up to now - and Morales has received substantial support from business in a sign of strength in House District 74 in a border area with swing potential.

Republicans are making their most intense efforts in HD 37 in light of the windfall for Lopez in a battle to replace former Rep. Eddie Lucio III. ART spent about $80,000 on the Lopez campaign in the past three months when GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan poured $118,000 into her bid. Lopez landed an addtional $127,000 from the Republican State Leadership Committee PAC, $5,000 from Sarah Huckabee's political committee in Arkansas and $358 from Abbott himself.

But the governor wasn't as generous with his money as he'd been with his words in Garza's case in Senate District 19 where the challenger with an empty campaign kitty appears poised to be crushed by Gutierrez despite a glowing endorsement from Abbott.

“I’m proud to endorse Robert Garza for Texas Senate," Abbott declared on August 25. "As the former mayor and current resident of Del Rio, Robert sees firsthand the consequences of President Biden’s reckless open border policies. I need him in the Texas Senate to ensure we continue to secure the border and keep communities like his safe. I urge everyone in Texas Senate District 19 to join me in supporting Robert Garza."

more to come ...