Valdez, Collier riding on ‘reverse coattails’
Good showing by top of Democratic ballot may depend on Senate, congressional races
AUSTIN — Four years ago, Wendy Davis was touring Texas like a rock star as she ran for governor. Sporting the same pink Mizuno sneakers she wore for her famous filibuster against a bill to restrict abortions, she was greeted by 1,600 cheering fans here, many of them wearing “Turn Texas Blue” T-shirts.
She had more than $10 million in the bank of the $37 million she would raise in her bid to become the first Democrat elected to statewide office in Texas in 20 years.
Now, as former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez runs for the same office against Gov. Greg Abbott — who beat Davis by more than 20 percentage points — the crowds often have been scant. Valdez’s statewide name ID remains slim. Her bank account has been skinnier than a coyote in the desert.
Nevertheless, Democratic Party insiders expressed little concern as Valdez on Tuesday reported raising $742,250 in political contributions in the past seven months. As of June 30, she had $222,050 in the bank.
Instead of trying to build Valdez vs. Abbott into a marquee race, Democrats are focusing much of their attention — and campaign cash — on downballot and congressional races that have drawn a record number of candidates.
They’re hoping for what they call the reverse coattails effect — essentially they’re banking on well-funded Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke and the Democrats running for Congress, state and local office to help generate turnout for statewide candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, instead of the other way around.
“In years past, all the money poured into the races at the top, and there was no money for the down-ballot races,” explained Mike Collier, a candidate for lieutenant governor who said he helped devise the plan after the