Can Beto Compete With Abbott’s Campaign Cash Machine?

The latest campaign filings show that the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful can still raise lots of money. But the powerful incumbent with a massive political war chest remains on another level.The final state campaign filings from last year are in, and they show that the marquee race in Texas in 2022—the likely faceoff between Governor Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke—will be showered in green.

Abbott raised just under $19 million in the second half of 2021, according to his latest report, bringing his total haul for the year to nearly $40 million. The pile of available campaign cash is now $65 million. Since first running for governor, he’s raised around $175 million, cementing his reputation as one of the most successful—some would say shameless—fundraising powerhouses in the money-drenched history of Texas politics.

The governor’s insatiable appetite for cash has opened him up to critics who claim he is beholden to big money. Over the summer, Abbottfrom Kelcy Warren, the chairman of Energy Transfer Partners, the natural gas giant that made over $2 billion off the state’s energy crisis during last February’s deadly winter storm. That seven-figure contribution was four times more than Warren had ever previously given to Abbott in a single check.

While Abbott’s latest filing did not include any million-dollar contributions, his biggest contributor of the period—Javaid Anwar, a Midland oil executive—cut a total of $600,000 in checks, which brings his total patronage of Abbott’s campaign to over $3.5 million. The last true mega-donor for Texas Democrats was Houston trial attorney Steve Mostyn, who passed away in 2017. In recent years, national Democratic groups in Washington have been the largest source of campaign funds for state Dems.

So, why does everyone think that money equates to votes? Media access? I don't know about anyone else but it is pretty clear to me what Beto and the Democrats stand for and what Abbot and the Insurrection Party stand for. Not much is going to change my mind.

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