Election Update. The last day to register to vote in the Texas primary elections was Monday, February 3. Early voting will be open from Tuesday, February 18 until February 28 and election day is Tuesday, March 3. In total, 26 Texas House members will face primary challengers in March and 86 will face general election challengers in November; 12 will face both. In the Senate, 13 members will have general election challengers, 3 of whom will have both general election and primary challengers.
Below are 30-day pre-election fundraising results for candidates in some competitive elections around the state, most of which were filed this past week. Candidates will also file reports 8 days before the election. Fundraising numbers for all candidates are available at the Texas Ethics Commission.
- In House District 45, between San Antonio and Austin, Democratic incumbent Erin Zwiener raised $9,500 and has $83,000 cash on hand while her primary opponent, Liliana Posada, did not report any contributions or cash on hand. Three Republicans will run in the primary to challenge the Democrat: Bud Wymore, who raised $5,000 and has $85,000 cash on hand; Carrie Isaac, who raised $4,000 and has $83,000 cash on hand, and Austin Tally, who raised $80 and has $1,000 cash on hand.
- In House District 108, in the Dallas area, Republican incumbent Morgan Meyer raised $320,177 in contributions and $119,050 cash on hand, outraising the 3 Democrats seeking to win their party’s nomination to challenge Meyer in November. Democrat Shawn Terry raised $61,000 and has $140,000 cash on hand; Democrat Joanna Cattanach, who narrowly lost to Meyer in 2018, raised $2,000 and has $51,000 cash on hand; Democrat Tom Ervin raised $22,000 and has $31,000 cash on hand.
- In House District 132, in the Houston area, two Republicans are vying to challenge incumbent Democrat Calanni in the general election: Angelica Garcia, (who has been endorsed by Governor Abbott) raised $12,000 and has $4,000 cash on hand, and Mike Schofield, who raised $3,200 and has $130,000 cash on hand. Callani reported $82,002 in contributions and $24,571 in cash on hand in her last report, but has not yet filed a 30-day report.
- In House District 135, in the Houston area, incumbent Democrat Jon Rosenthal has not yet filed a 30-day campaign finance report. Republican Justin Ray reported raising $6,400 and $44,229 cash on hand; his opponent in the Republican primary, Merilee Beazley, did not report any contributions or cash on hand.
- In House District 138, an open seat in the Houston area following the retirement of Republican Dwayne Bohac, three Republicans and three Democrats have filed to run. Of the Republicans in the race, Lacey Hull reported raising $1,966 and $44,477 cash on hand; Claver Kamau-Imani reported $3,997 in contributions and $18,139 cash on hand; Josh Flynn, who has been ruled ineligible to run by the Harris County Republican Party but will appear on the ballot, reported $8,500 in contributions and $17,051 cash on hand. For the Democrats, Josh Wallenstein reported the $1,915 and $54,951 cash on hand; Akilah Bacy reported raising $10,423 and $35,359 cash on hand. The third Democrat in the race, Jenifer Rene Pool, has not yet reported fundraising numbers.
- In Senate District 27, incumbent Democrat Eddie Lucio Jr. raised $89,000 and has $20,000 cash on hand while his opponent in the primary, Sara Stapleton-Barrera, reported $200 cash on hand and did not report any contributions. Vanessa Tijerina, the only Republican to file for the race, did not report any contributions or cash on hand.
Interim Committee Hearings. House Committees will meet for the following upcoming interim hearings:
- Higher Education: February 11 in Austin
- Culture, Recreation & Tourism: February 20 in Victoria
- International Relations and Economic Development: February 21 in Laredo
- Transportation: February 21 in Laredo
Senate Committees will meet for the following upcoming interim hearings:
- Veteran Affairs & Border Security: February 24 in Harlingen
- Finance: February 25 in Austin
- Transportation: February 26 in Austin
- State Affairs: February 26 in Austin
More information on committee meetings can be found here for the House and the Senate.