Davis' initial haul not a threat to GOP

AUSTIN — Gov. Wendy Davis? Not so fast.

If the latest round of state campaign finance reports is any indication, the Fort Worth Democrat who catapulted to national fame via filibuster still has a way to go before posing a real threat to snatch the state's top office from Republicans.

Davis reported Monday that she netted $993,000 during the final two weeks of June, bolstering her cash on hand to roughly $1.1 million.

The haul, which includes more than 15,000 individual donations, is impressive. But it's far from the type of mega-bucks needed to seriously contend with a GOP heavyweight the likes of Attorney General Greg Abbott, who officially announced his intention to run for governor Sunday. Abbott continued to cement his standing as the likely head honcho-in-waiting by reporting that he's now sitting on a campaign war chest of more than $20 million.

With primaries coming in March, state Democrats have yet to even field a candidate for governor.

Davis hasn't announced whether she'll defend her state Senate seat in 2014 or take a stab at running for governor, a prospect that has reached a fever pitch thanks to her meteoric rise as the Texas' new Democratic darling.

Experts say any serious contender going toe-to-toe with Abbott will need to raise and spend in the neighborhood of nearly double the amount the attorney general is currently sitting on.

“The big problem state Democrats have faced is even when people get excited they don't reach for their wallets,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. “As she looks at the possibility of making a run for governor, I think Wendy Davis will draw back because I don't think she sees the possibility of raising $30 million or $40 million.”

To boost her campaign coffers, Davis is planning to hit the Washington, D.C., fundraising circuit next week for a $500-a-head breakfast that includes a long list of invited Democratic U.S. senators, the Washington Examiner reported Monday.

Those types of events will undoubtedly provide Davis with quick and bountiful cash injections, and will introduce her to a crowd of well-heeled national Democrats.

However, Mark Jones, chairman of political science at Rice University, cautions that of out-of-state shindigs also could be prime fodder for her opponents.

“If she does that too much, it just feeds into a negative attack ad,” Jones said. “She can do some that, but there has to be balance. You don't want somebody to bring out statistics saying 70 percent of her money comes from out of state.”

As it stands, roughly 41 percent of Davis' haul for the most recent reporting period — about $413,000 — came from folks out of state. And roughly two-thirds of the 15,290 individual contributions also hailed from non-Texans.

“I am grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support,” Davis said in a statement.

On the Republican side, Abbott, who leaked his campaign finance results in a podcast last week, reported raising $4.8 million during the quarter and now has more than $20 million in the bank. That's exactly the type of cash stash that experts say tends to scare off most competitors.

So far, the sole Republican candidate that has declared to take on Abbott in the Republican primary is former state GOP Chairman Tom Pauken, who reported raking in a little more than $221,000 for the most recent period.

The campaign finance reports due Monday cover the six-month period between January and June. However, the Texas Ethics Commission imposed a moratorium on campaign donations on Dec. 9, 2012, about one month before the Legislature gaveled in for its regular session starting in January. It was lifted June 17, leaving lawmakers and candidates roughly two weeks to raise money.

During that period, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst reported raising $1.2 million in his bid to return to the state's second-highest elective office.

The amount might not sound overly impressive initially, but Dewhurst, a multimillionaire, largely self-funds his campaigns and used $25 million to $30 million of his money in a failed run for U.S. Senate.

He's facing three challengers in the GOP primary. Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples reported hauling in more than $1 million and now has more than $3 million on hand. Another challenger, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said Monday that he raised more than $417,000 during the June 17-30 reporting period. He now has nearly $1.3 million on hand. And Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said he raised $100,000 in the first 72 hours after his announcement for lieutenant governor on June 27, bringing his total cash reserves up to $2.1 million.

That's a good start for all three challengers to build up resources to try to make a deep run in the upcoming primary, but they'll each need to continue racking up large sums to keep pace with Dewhurst.

“In a lieutenant governor's race, you should plan to spend $10 million to $15 million to get message out, knowing Dewhurst will outspend you,” Jillson said. “It's really up to the challengers to show if they're going to be able to compete from a fundraising perspective.”