Candidates in state races have the same July 17 reporting deadline as federal candidates. While the FEC reports are starting to come in, the Texas Ethics Commission reports are arriving at a much slower rate so far. The TEC search page isn’t as friendly for getting overviews as the FEC page is, so this will be a much more tedious process.
We do know about some candidates’ reports, from their press releases. We know about Ellen Cohen and we know about Kristi Thibaut, to name two. You can now add a third name to that group, Juan Garcia. From his press release:
District 32 State Representative candidate Juan Garcia previewed today his fundraising accomplishments through the first half of the year that will be made public in Monday’s contribution and expenditure report. He will report raising $205,640.95 since announcing his candidacy in January.
The Garcia campaign received donations from some 400 individual contributors, a sweeping grassroots showing of financial support from across the district, and across the country (with 20 states represented). The majority of contributions were $100 or less, and came from a broad cross-section of contributors that includes doctors, teachers, and military personnel, with an overwhelming outpouring of support from former classmates, White House Fellows, and Navy squadron mates from across the globe.
“As a political newcomer and first-time candidate, I’m aligned with no faction, indebted to no interest group, and free to follow my conscience. My report reflects that independence. I’m grateful to have earned the support of the citizens of District 32, and to have lifetime friends who believe in me. Come the fall, we’re going to have the resources to get our message of ‘New Leadership for a New Direction’ out across the Coastal Bend,” said Garcia.
Among the many former Gene Seaman contributors who are now supporting Garcia are Dr. Michael Mauger of Corpus Christi, and retired Foreign Service Officer and Republican Lynn Lee of Rockport.
Said Dr. Mauger: “It’s refreshing to see a young man with his qualifications step up. He’ll be a breath of fresh air in the Capitol.”
“Communities like Rockport have been paralyzed for years from a dearth of leadership across this district,” said Lee. “I admire and share Juan’s dedication to public service and am excited to finally send someone of his integrity to Austin.”
Nothing like getting your opponent’s former contributors to back you publicly. Garcia can use the cash, since Gene Seaman had $266K cash on hand as of January. His July statement will be one of many that I’ll be looking for next week. Stay tuned.