Bush spends $2M to avoid land commissioner runoff

Land Commissioner George P. Bush’s re-election campaign spent $2 million in 30 days in an effort to win the March 6 Republican primary outright and not be forced into a May runoff.

The latest numbers came on a day that Bush and seven other Republican statewide officials received endorsements from President Donald Trump.

In a midday tweet, Trump said, “I want to encourage all of my many Texas friends to vote in the primary for Governor Greg Abbott, Senator Ted Cruz, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton. They are helping me to Make America Great Again!”

Hours later, Trump tweeted, “Texas LC George P. Bush backed me when it wasn’t the politically correct thing to do, and I back him now. Also, AC Sid Miller has been with me from the beginning, he is ‘Trump’s Man in Texas.’ Also support Comptroller Glenn Hegar, and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick.”

According to the fundraising report covering the period from Jan. 26 to Feb. 24, Bush raised $300,000, spent $2 million and had $1.4 million in cash on hand entering the final days of the campaign.

“Similar to other statewide elected officials with big leads over their challengers, we are doing what we said we would do

from the beginning — using our resources to remind the voters of the remarkable conservative accomplishments that Commissioner Bush has achieved at the” General Land Office, Bush campaign manager Ash Wright said in a statement.

During the same period, Bush’s leading opponent in the four-way race, former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, raised $69,582, spent $50,691 and had $118,341 in the bank.

Bush would face a runoff if he doesn’t win a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s primary.

“If we’re in a runoff my ability to raise money is substantially enhanced,” Patterson said Tuesday. “And with a half-million dollars, I’ll kick his ass.”

A University of Texas/ Texas Tribune poll conducted Feb. 2-12 found Bush leading Patterson 57 percent to 31 percent, with two other candidates, Davey Edwards and Rick Range, each receiving 6 percent.

But 44 percent of the likely voters initially said they had no preference, a very high number for a race with an incumbent whose grandfather, George H.W. Bush, and uncle, George W. Bush, are both Texans who served as U.S. president.

Agriculture Commissioner Miller raised $138,186 for the period, spent $369,019 and had $201,867 in cash on hand.

Trey Blocker, who is challenging Miller, raised $94,678, spent $338,629 and had $192,201 in cash on hand.

The third candidate, Jim Hogan, raised and spent nothing.

In the UT/Texas Tribune poll, Miller leads Blocker 54 percent to 26 percent, but Hogan, who was Miller’s Democratic rival for the job when he was elected four years ago, has the support of 20 percent of voters. Sixty percent of the voters in that race initially had no preference.

Abbott, who is facing token opposition in his primary but has become involved in some legislative primary races, spent the most of any of the statewide candidates — $4.8 million — while raising $1.5 million, leaving him with $41 million in cash on hand toward a fall campaign in which he is considered virtually unbeatable.

Patrick, raised $572,693, spent $2.3 million and had $9.2 million in cash on hand.

His opponent, Scott Milder, raised $45,803, spent $33,379 and had $49,974 in the bank.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Houston businessman Andrew White continued to out-raise former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.

White raised $130,957 during the period, spent $371,570 and had $994,426

A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll done Feb. 2-12 found George P. Bush leading Jerry Patterson 57 percent to 31 percent, with two other candidates, Davey Edwards and Rick Range, each receiving 6 percent.

in cash on hand.

Valdez raised $66,854, spent $92,827 and had $57,902 in the bank according to her report.

In the UT/Texas Tribune poll, Valdez was leading White 43 percent to 24 percent, but two-thirds of respondents said they were undecided until pushed to make a choice.

Valdez’s advantage stems mostly from her history as a proven vote-getter in Dallas County, where she was elected sheriff four times.

None of the other seven candidates in the Democratic race for governor had more than 7 percent support, the poll found.