Davis beats Roy in raising dollars
Democratic congressional hopeful Wendy Davis outraised incumbent Rep. Chip Roy, according to third quarter campaign finance reports, signaling early financial strength in what’s set to be a key Texas battleground district in 2020.
Davis, who is running in the 21st Congressional District, reported a haul of nearly $940,000 for the period spanning July 1 to Sept. 30, while Roy took in about $574,000, the reports show. The district runs from Austin to San Antonio.
Still, the Hays County Republican maintains about double what Davis has, with more than $1 million in his campaign war chest. Davis, a former state senator who gained a national following after her 13hour filibuster of an anti-abortion measure in 2013, has about $604,000 on hand after entering the race July 22.
“Seeing this much money already flowing in is a reflection that this is a seat that is definitely in play, and people recognize that,” said Joe Gershtenson, associate professor of political science at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
The first reelection cycle is always a vulnerable time for an incumbent, Gershtenson said, but it’s particularly vulnerable for Roy, who won his seat by the slim margin of 2.6 percentage points in 2018.
Davis is one of two Democrats whose fundraising dollars are nearing or above $1 million as they take on Republican opponents in districts targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer who narrowly lost to Republican Rep. Will Hurd last year, has raised more than $1 million for her 2020 campaign.
Hurd announced in August that he would not seek reelection to the 23rd Congressional District, which covers a territory along the border from San Antonio to the edge of El Paso; the top-funded Republican, Tony Gonzales, has raised about $87,000 after entering the race in early August, and he loaned his campaign $65,000.
A winning incumbent in Con
gress generally raises about $1 million to $1.5 million, Gershtenson said. The fundraising in the race for the 21st District is quickly approaching that point, with more than a year to go before the election.
Davis has a track record of raising large amounts of money from across the country. She raised more than $30 million in her unsuccessful bid for governor in 2014, but Greg Abbott outraised her and beat her in a landslide, by a margin of more than 20 points.
Roy, as a freshman congressman, has made headlines for being outspoken about border security. He was also one of the first congressional Republicans to push back against President Donald Trump’s comments about four Democratic congresswomen of color this summer.
Roy’s campaign spokesman, Nathan McDaniel, said the team is pleased with the support he’s received so far. While he said Davis’ numbers don’t alarm him, it does confirm that the 21st District will be one of the top House races in the country.
“We think we’ll continue to keep the pace, and he will be working hard to bring the dollars in so that we can get the message out,” McDaniel said. “It’s a total team effort, and I think that will continue to be reflected every quarter from here on out.”
A campaign email to Roy’s supporters, sent a day after the numbers were released, was a little more dire.
“Liberal money will continue flooding into Wendy’s campaign, so we have our work cut out for us,” the email said. “Make no mistake, this will be a tough fight.”
The Davis campaign said 88 percent of her donations were under $50 and that 70 percent of the money she raised came from Texas.
“I am proud of the grassroots campaign we are building,” Davis said. “These small-dollar donations prove Central Texans are tired of not having a voice in Washington who will fight for them. That’s why I’m running for Congress: to be a voice for those who are forgotten, and worse, ignored.”
Most of Davis’ in-state donations came from Austin. The second- and third-most donations, however, came from Dallas and Houston, respectively, both outside the district.
The out-of-state dollars mainly came from California, Washington, D.C., and New York, which Gershtenson said underlines the national fundraising prowess Davis exhibited in her 2014 gubernatorial campaign.
Roy wasted no time in criticizing Davis for her coastal blue-state donors.
“She will keep raising money from out-of-touch, liberal elites . ... And you know she will be a rubber stamp to pass Nancy Pelosi’s far-left, radical agenda — which is exactly what we don’t need more of in the swamp,” Roy wrote in his email. “They’ll stop at nothing to flip this seat.”
Most of Roy’s in-state money came from San Antonio, Austin and Houston. At least 40 percent of Roy’s donations came from outside Texas. Most of it came from the Washington, D.C., area as well as California and Florida.
Also running are two Democrats, Jennie Lou Leeder and Bruce Boville, who have raised $1,182 and $2,000 respectively, as well as independent Michael Felts, who has raised $3,353.