More than $1 million has been raised in 5 Tarrant House races targeted by Democrats
The fight for the Texas House is on in Tarrant County.
More than $1.2 million has poured into five races that Democrats are targeting. The five Democrats have raised a combined $677,149, pushing them over the Republican total of $572,136, according to data from July campaign finance reports.
Only two Republican incumbents — state Reps. Craig Goldman and Matt Krause, both of Fort Worth — raised more than their challengers.
“Money flows to competitive races,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “Improved campaign coffers for Democrats in Tarrant County definitely shows that these races are in play.”
Two of these seats don’t have an incumbent because Republican state Reps. Jonathan Stickland of Bedford and Bill Zedler of Arlington aren’t seeking re-election.
And at a time when Republican President Donald Trump will top the ballot in November, potentially drawing a larger than average turnout to the polls, Democrats feel they have a chance to pick up seats in Tarrant County..
“The reason for all of this money is that this is a very fluid election,” said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at TCU. “Like everything else in 2020, these elections are not as predictable as they might have been in previous years.”
Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman Rick Barnes said the GOP has known for a while that Democrats are targeting these seats.
“Everybody is very aware of it,” he said. “While those five seats are a target for the Democrats, candidates also are receiving tons more support from Republicans.”
And money isn’t everything, he said.
“It’s not fair to say they are ahead in the game because they are taking in more money,” Barnes said. “I think our candidates are working harder than theirs are.”
Tarrant County House races
Here’s a look at the five House races Democrats are targeting in Tarrant County — and the money flowing into them, according to campaign finance reports reflecting donations made this year that were filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.
District 92
Republican Jeff Cason of Bedford and Democrat Jeff Whitfield of Euless are vying to replace Stickland in this district.
Whitfield raised $201,313, has $187,824 in cash on hand and has $19,700 in outstanding loans. Among his donations: $11,500 from Flippable Texas Victory Fund out of Brooklyn, NY; $10,000 from the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee; and $30,000 from the Texas House Majority political action committee.
Cason raised $81,255, has $50,591 in cash on hand and has $5,000 in outstanding loans. His donations include $40,000 from Timothy Dunn, a Midland oilman who has been a key donor to Empower Texans, a group working to make the Texas Legislature more conservative; $10,000 from the Texas Charter Schools NOW PAC; and $2,500 from the Texas for Lawsuit Reform PAC.
District 93
Krause is seeking another term in office and faces a challenge from Democrat Lydia Bean of Arlington.
Krause raised $127,704, has $589,727 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. Among his donations: $10,000 from Cody Campbell of Fort Worth, CEO of Double Eagle Energy; $15,000 from Anthony Ewing of Frisco, president of Advanced Fixtures Inc.; and $5,000 from Stephen Gilchrist of Aledo, dealer/operator of Gilchrist Automotive.
Bean raised $118,475, has $107,277 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. Her donations include $10,000 from the House Democratic Campaign Committee; $30,000 from the Texas House Majority PAC; and $5,000 from the Fair and Square PAC of Dallas.
District 94
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, is running for another term and faces a challenge from Democrat Alisa Simmons of Arlington.
Tinderholt raised $15,850, has $71,180 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. Among his donations: $2,500 from the TREPAC/Texas Association of Realtors PAC; $2,500 from Richard Weekley of Houston; and $1,500 from the Chevron Employees PAC of California.
Simmons raised $62,265, has $38,466 in cash on hand and has $1,090 in outstanding loans. Her donations include $5,000 from the National Democratic Redistricting Committee; $2,500 from the House Democratic Campaign Committee; and $2,000 from Marc Veasey for Congress.
District 96
Republican Mansfield Mayor David Cook and Democrat Joe Drago of Fort Worth are seeking to replace the retiring Zedler in this House district.
Cook raised $54,550, has $288,908 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. His donations include $5,000 from Christopher Huckabee, a Fort Worth architect; $7,500 from Stephen and Sally Lockwood of Mansfield and $10,000 from William Rhodes of Mansfield.
Drago of Fort Worth has raised $132,090, has $109,105 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. Among his donations: $11,500 from Flippable Texas Victory Fund; $10,000 from the House Democratic Campaign Committee; and $30,000 from the Texas House Majority PAC.
District 97
Goldman is seeking another term in office and faces a challenge from Democrat Elizabeth Beck of Fort Worth.
Goldman raised $292.777, has $866,662 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. His donations include $25,000 from Barry Andrews, president of Andrews Distributing; $10,000 from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC; and $5,000 from the Fort Worth Firefighters Committee for Responsible Government.
Beck raised $163,004, has $162,996 in cash on hand and has no outstanding loans. Among her donations: $11,500 from the Flippable Texas Victory Fund; $10,000 from the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee; and $5,000 from the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
Targeted seats
“Clearly the Democrats sense opportunities for the first time in a long time,” Riddlesperger said. “And of course, when there are open seats as is the case with the retirements of Stickland and Zedler, there is always a potential for some voters who will support an incumbent to switch parties with new candidates in both parties.”
Tarrant County has remained red through the years as nearly every other major urban county has gone blue. But Democrats believe they can make inroads because Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who lost his overall bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, beat Cruz in Tarrant County by 3,869 votes.
Democrats will take control of the House if they can flip nine seats and keep the ones they hold.
“It wasn’t long ago that Democrats in Tarrant County couldn’t rub two nickels together,” Rottinghaus said. “Changing demographics and displeasure with Republican leadership in D.C. and Austin has made these districts competitive. “
But there’s plenty of time for candidates on both sides of the political aisle to raise money needed to promote their campaigns before the November election.
“There is an eternity in political time before the election to replenish one’s campaign accounts, especially in a race that is shown to be competitive,” Rottinghaus said. “Donors will find close races on both sides.
“The stakes are enormously high to either keep or gain control of the House and both parties know that money is a big key to winning.”
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 11:22 AM.
