O’Rourke outraises Abbott in final month of Texas governor’s race

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Beto O’Rourke outraised Gov. Greg Abbott for a 3rd consecutive time in October, in accordance with marketing campaign finance reviews that got here out Tuesday.

They had been the final main filings due earlier than the Nov. 8 election, they usually confirmed O’Rourke hauled in $10.5 million from Sept. 30 by way of Oct. 29. Abbott obtained $8.8 million in contributions through the monthlong interval.

Each candidates spent over $20 million and had been nicely on their approach to depleting their struggle chests by the tip of October, with O’Rourke disclosing $4.3 million money available and Abbott $3.7 million.

Whereas O’Rourke continues to path Abbott in polls, fundraising has been a decisive vivid spot for his marketing campaign. He has now outraised Abbott on campaign-finance filings courting again to February and erased Abbott’s once-daunting cash-on-hand benefit.

O’Rourke’s marketing campaign stated his most up-to-date haul confirmed momentum within the ultimate days of the race, noting he “raised extra per day throughout this [reporting] interval than he raised over the last one.” Abbott’s marketing campaign expressed confidence it had sufficient cash to win.

“With the tip of this marketing campaign in sight, we’ve got the sources we have to present Texans the clear distinction between” the 2 candidates, Abbott marketing campaign chair Gardner Pate stated in a press release Tuesday.

O’Rourke far surpassed Abbott within the variety of donations he obtained through the interval, roughly 237,000 to Abbott’s 29,000. O’Rourke’s common donation measurement was $44, whereas Abbott’s was $302.

The largest donations that Abbott collected had been $500,000 every from Plano funding adviser Ken Fisher, Midland oil mogul Javaid Anwar and Dallas Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones. O’Rourke’s largest checks had been $250,000 from Austin physician Carolyn Oliver and $100,000 from the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Academics.

O’Rourke obtained a 3rd of his funds raised from exterior of Texas, whereas that determine was 15% for Abbott. When it got here to the share of out-of-state donors, Abbott’s was 43% and O’Rourke’s was 46%.

In different statewide races, Lawyer Common Ken Paxton raised eyebrows by submitting a report that claimed he raised $2.4 million however didn’t embody any donor names. The report stated the “totals are estimated and might be itemized” however didn’t present any timeline. Paxton has a historical past of submitting late and incomplete reviews.

Paxton’s Democratic opponent, Rochelle Garza, reported $1.1 million in fundraising.

And within the open race for land commissioner, Democratic nominee Jay Kleberg reported a $250,000 donation from H-E-B CEO Charles Butt, making up 40% of his haul and permitting Kleberg to narrowly outraise Republican rival Daybreak Buckingham. Butt just lately endorsed Kleberg, a conservationist scion of the King Ranch household, saying he’s “a pure for the job.”

Carla Astudillo contributed to this story.

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