Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Valdez vs White and the definition of a low budget campaign



Image result for vote ballot box images


Here in Texas, the Valdez vs White runoff is turning out to be a very low budget operation, as we see in this story:   
According to the amended pre-runoff reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission on Tuesday, the Valdez campaign raised $208,000 between Feb. 25 and May 12, spent $88,000, had $115,000 in the bank and had $20,000 in outstanding loans. The original report, filed Monday, reported raising $291,000 and ending the period with $258,000 in the bank.
The Valdez spokesman attributed the mistake to an “administrative error” with online contributions.
During the same period, the White campaign raised $179,000, spent $166,000 and had $981,000 in the bank and more than $1 million in outstanding loans.
Both numbers are anemic for a Texas gubernatorial campaign.
“These would be acceptable numbers if they were running for state rep,” Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who did not have to file a report Monday because he is not in a runoff, had $41 million in the bank as of Feb. 24.
My guess is that they will raise more money once the runoff is over.   

At the same time, it will be tough competing with a popular governor with a lot of cash.    

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.