Lupe Valdez, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, has $222,000 to spend with less than four months until Election Day, according to her campaign. It is a figure that continues to put her far behind Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the money race.
Abbott, who is seeking a second term, has $28.9 million in the bank by comparison — or 130 times Valdez’s balance. And that is after he unloaded $16 million late last month to reserve TV time for the fall.
Abbott and Valdez, the former Dallas County sheriff, faced a Monday deadline to report their latest fundraising figures to the Texas Ethics Commission. In addition to her cash-on-hand total, Valdez was set to report that she raised $336,000 from May 13 through June 30, while Abbott has already disclosed raking in $10.9 million from Feb. 25 through June 30.
The length of the most recent reporting period varies for Abbott and Valdez due to the process by which they won their party’s nominations. Abbott secured the GOP’s nod outright in March with minimal opposition, while Valdez went to a runoff in May, where she defeated Andrew White, the son of former Gov. Mark White.
In a statement on her latest fundraising numbers, Valdez noted that 97 percent of donations came from Texans and 77 percent were under $100.
“These are hard-earned funds coming from everyday Texans who know that our vision for the future is the way forward,” Valdez said. “We may not have tens of millions, but we’ve gained ground in the polls over the last two months and our message continues to resonate with everyday Texans.”
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/17/lupe-valdez-greg-abbott-millions-november-election/.