It’s been a good month for the Senator from San Antonio, as Alex Ura of the Texas Tribune reports…
Democratic state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and Republican state Sen. Dan Patrick, who are facing off in a fiery race for lieutenant governor, have both raised about $1 million since the end of May — with Van de Putte slightly outraising Patrick, according to fundraising numbers released by both campaigns.
Since defeating incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a May 28 runoff, Patrick has raised $1 million. Van de Putte, who ran unopposed, raised about $1.2 million in the same time period. Four months ahead of the general election, the two candidates are working with similar balances in their respective war chests, with Van de Putte reporting $1.1 million cash on hand while Patrick has $946,982 in the bank.
The two campaigns released some fundraising totals ahead of the Texas Ethics Commission’s Tuesday deadline for reports covering fundraising activity and expenditures through June 30. The reports were not immediately available.
The post goes on to say that Dan Patrick is still far ahead in total campaign resources. The Republican has $7.8 million in funds compared to a $2.3 million total for Leticia Van de Putte.
Good news here is that Van de Putte has again proven her ability to run a successful campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Pundits no longer have to debate about whether or not she can raise money, because she is. It’s not necessary for her to actually win the fundraising race, but she does need to have enough money to be competitive. Texas Democrats should find much encouragement in these numbers.