Olcott Only Challenger in $100K Club
with 23 GOP Reps and Two Democrats
Texas Campaign Cash
Texas Races to Watch
Capitol Inside
January 24, 2022
As a friendly incumbent in the eyes of the Austin lobby, GOP State Rep. Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches raised a substantial and predictable amount of money from a wide array of business and professional interests in the past two months for a re-election race in a district on the Louisiana border. The fifth-term lawmaker from the Piney Woods in deep East Texas reaped nearly $143,000 from donors in that span of time before kicking 2022 off with $300,000 and change in cash on hand.
As a muckraking mom who's been leading a war against critical race theory in the local schools, House District 11 hopeful Rachel Hale of Henderson depended on a quartet of donors who she listed as unemployed homemakers for nearly a fourth of $22,000 that she reported raising after taking aim at Clardy late last year. That group included her most generous giver - Mollie Hale of Henderson - who contributed $4,000 to the CRT warrior's campaign - according to the fundraising report she filed with the Texas Ethics Commission last week.
The numbers behind the dollar signs make Clardy a prohibitive favorite on paper in HD 11 in the GOP primary election on March 1. With two other challengers in round one, Hale might have a shot at forcing Clardy into overtime nonetheless as the most likely beneficiary of the far right vote in a new GOP where moderate conservatives like the incumbent are persona non grata now.
The Capitol Inside crystal ball does not see an upset in the making in the HD 11 race. But the conditions could be ripe for an unprecedented wave from the right that sweeps a half-dozen primary challengers to victories over House Republicans who have substantial fundraising advantages and would have been locks in the world before Donald Trump and COVID-19.
The upcoming GOP primary election has massive anti-incumbent potential for a party that's been broken and terrorized with the lion's share of Republicans in the Legislature living in fear of Trump's wrath for the past year. But the fundraising reports that candidates for state offices submitted to the state a week ago show little sign of a revolt shaping up in the GOP primary in 2022 on the House battlefield despite the ingredients for a perfect internal storm.
Two dozen House candidates in races with incumbents on both sides of the aisle joined the $100,000 club with fundraising hauls in the six digit vicinity in 2021. Twenty-one of those are incumbent Republicans along with a pair of Democratic colleagues who face opposition in the primary as well.
Mike Olcott of Aledo - the only challenger in that elite group - also happens to be its leader after floating a House District 60 bid with $300,000 in loans in addition of more than $124,000 that he generated from supporters last year. Olcott is running hard to the right of rookie Republican State Rep. Glenn Rogers of Graford in the primary election just over five weeks from now. Rogers had the fifth largest take last year among candidate in a House race with incumbents on the ballot again this year. Rogers raised almost $246,000 from contributors in 2021 when GOP State Reps. Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City and Dustin Burrows of Lubbock surpassed that mark with donations from supports of $278,000 and $274,000 respectively last year.
Democratic State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo ranks second overall after raising more from contributors than any other contenders in a House race with an incumbent on defense. Raymond's lone primary foe Jorge "JD" Delgado of Laredo reported less than $11,000 from donors in his bid for the House District 42 seat in 2022.
GOP State Reps. Jeff Leach of Allen and Ernest Bailes of Shepherd were the only other contenders in races with incumbents to top the $200,000 mark in fundraising last year. State Rep. Erin Zwiener of Driftwood was the only House Democrat with a contested primary to crack the century mark in fundraising in 2021.
more to come ... |
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Elisa Chan
HD 122 - GOP
Contributions: $77,977
Campaign Loans: $755,000
Cash: $649,259 |
Shelley Barineau
HD 133 - GOP
Contributions: $327,859
Campaign Loans: $175,000
Cash: $412,096
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Ellen Troxclair
HD 19 - GOP
Contributions: $460,095
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash: $433,648
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Will Franklin
HD 133 - GOP
Contributions: $247,684
Campaign Loans: $150,000
Cash: $327,760
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Mike Olcott (Inc)
HD 60 - GOP
Contributions: $124,245
Campaign Loans: $300,000
Cash Dec 31: $402,770
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Richard Raymond (Inc)
HD 42 - DEM
Contributions: $312,956
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $293,273
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Mano DeAyala
HD 133 - GOP
Contributions: $305,478
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash: $239,14 |
Adam Blanchard
HD 122 - GOP
Contributions: $289,083
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash: $160,717
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Ryan Guillen (Inc)
HD 31 - GOP
Contributions: $279,995
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $660,090 |
Dustin Burrows (Inc)
HD 83 - GOP
Contributions: $273,915
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $225,917
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Glenn Rogers (Inc)
HD 60 - GOP
Contributions: $245,675
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $121,270 |
Jeff Leach (Inc)
HD 67 - GOP
Contributions: $234,997
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $147,793
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Ernest Bailes (Inc)
HD 18 - GOP
Contributions: $212,816
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $163,199 |
Steve Toth (Inc)
HD 15 - GOP
Contributions: $197,429
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $204,132
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Justin Holland (Inc)
HD 121 - GOP
Contributions: $187,919
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $228,162 |
Charles Gearing
HD 114 - DEM
Contributions: $186,480
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash: $134,498
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Mark Dorazio
HD 122 - GOP
Contributions: $32,691
Campaign Loans: $150,000
Cash: $133,506 |
Steve Allison (Inc)
HD 121 - GOP
Contributions: $182,102
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $106,105
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Kyle Kacal (Inc)
HD 12 - GOP
Contributions: $175,020
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $209,265 |
Carrie Isaac
HD 73 - GOP
Contributions: $174,628
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $87,161
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Barron Casteel
HD 73 - GOP
Contributions: $168,418
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $117,567 |
Valoree Swanson (Inc)
HD 150 - GOP
Contributions: $167,826
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $154,572
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Travis Clardy (Inc)
HD 11 - GOP
Contributions: $142,825
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $303,363 |
Gary Gates (Inc)
HD 28 - GOP
Contributions: $82,525
Campaign Loans: $60,000
Cash Dec 31: $30,754
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Lynn Stucky (Inc)
HD 64 - GOP
Contributions: $138,731
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $156,797 |
Brooks Landgraf (Inc)
HD 81 - GOP
Contributions: $136,803
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $242,406
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Bryan Slaton (Inc)
HD 2 - GOP
Contributions: $133,371
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $56,966 |
David Spiller (Inc)
HD 68 - GOP
Contributions: $132,068
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $127,631
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Gio Capriglione (Inc)
HD 98 - GOP
Contributions: $127,340
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $263,206 |
Erin Zwiener (Inc)
HD 45 - DEM
Contributions: $124,546
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $94,215
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Stephanie Klick (Inc)
HD 91 - GOP
Contributions: $121,198
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $307,0087 |
Ben Bumgarner
HD 63 - GOP
Contributions: $100,550
Campaign Loans: $20,000
Cash Dec 31: $100,550
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Kronda Thimsech
HD 65 - GOP
Contributions: $62,245
Campaign Loans: $50,000
Cash Dec 31: $91,859 |
Reggie Smith (Inc)
HD 62 - GOP
Contributions: $110,600
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $132,267
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Andrew Murr (Inc)
HD 53 - GOP
Contributions: $103,650
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $219,784 |
Andrew Murr (Inc)
HD 53 - GOP
Contributions: $103,650
Campaign Loans: $0
Cash Dec 31: $219,784
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| House Races with Incumbents Minimum $100,000 in 2021 |
Source: Texas Ethics
Commission |
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