Donations to Turner soar after limit reset
Mayor Sylvester Turner raked in more than $1.7 million from late October through early December and spent roughly the same amount, leaving him with almost $600,000 for the final days of the runoff, according to a campaign finance report filed Friday.
The total marked a fundraising surge for Turner, who was aided by newly reset donor contribution limits for the runoff, though he still was outspent by Tony Buzbee, a millionaire trial lawyer and the mayor’s opponent in the Dec. 14 contest.
Buzbee, who is self-financing his campaign and refusing all campaign contributions, put $2.3 million of his own money into the campaign last month and spent almost $3.1 million between Oct. 27 and Wednesday, leaving him with about $524,000.
With a week to go in the election, Buzbee and Turner have now combined to spend about $19 million in what has become easily the most expensive Houston mayoral race yet. Buzbee has spent $11.8 million of the $12.3 million he has put into his campaign account, while Turner has spent $7.2 million since the middle of July.
By the end of the first round, much of Turner’s donor base had hit the city’s contribution limit of $5,000 per person and $10,000 per political action committee every two years, causing the mayor’s campaign account to slowly dwindle as he spent far more than he
raised.
The cap resets for the runoffs, however, allowing Turner’s maxed-out donors to contribute anew after Nov. 5. He took in $377,000 in the prior reporting period, or about $13,000 per day, then raised about $46,000 per day in the latest period, which covers most of the runoff and the final 10 days of the first round.
Though Buzbee again outspent Turner, he will have to make up significant ground in the runoff after finishing second in the Nov. 5 election with 28 percent — well ahead of Turner’s 10 other challengers, but behind the mayor’s 47 percent finish. A majority of the vote is needed to win outright.
City Council fundraising
Several City Council candidates established significant fundraising advantages over their runoff opponents, including in District C, where civil rights lawyer Abbie Kamin raised more than $180,000 — about five times the $35,000 haul of health care consultant Shelley Kennedy.
Some of the at-large seats saw wide disparities, too, with attorney and former high school math teacher Raj Salhotra continuing to outraise incumbent Councilman Mike Knox, $129,000 to $70,000, in the race for the Position 1 seat. Councilman David Robinson, who is seeking to defend the second at-large seat, spent about $200,000 — more than any other City Council candidate — while his opponent, pastor Willie Davis, spent about $10,000.
At-Large 5 candidate Sallie Alcorn, a former City Council staffer, paced the council candidates with a $195,000 fundraising haul. She spent about $155,000, while her opponent, Harris County Department of Education trustee Eric Dick, reported about $65,000 in expenditures from his own funds.
The fundraising was more evenly matched in District J, where Gulfton Super Neighborhood president Sandra Rodríguez raised about $39,000, just ahead of attorney Edward Pollard’s $38,000 haul.
Pollard, who also loaned his campaign $20,000, outspent Rodríguez, $47,000 to $13,000 — but she maintained almost $40,000 for the homestretch of the campaign, far more than Pollard’s $23,000.