The most recent marketing campaign finance submitting by Harris County Decide Lina Hidalgo – who has not but revealed whether or not she intends to hunt a 3rd time period subsequent 12 months – reveals her accessible money available ballooned from $41,300 in January to greater than $600,000 as of the tip of June. However the progressive Democrat acquired solely about $26,000 in donations throughout that span.
Nearly all the enhance got here from three refunds for authorized companies, together with an almost $601,000 refund on June 26 from Gerger Hennessy Martin & Peterson LLP. It is a Houston-based regulation agency with experience in authorities investigations, trials and appeals, based on its web site.
Hidalgo’s marketing campaign additionally reported a authorized companies refund of greater than $42,000 from The Akers Agency on Might 30 and an almost $11,000 refund from Khalil Regulation PLLC on Might 25.
The character of the refunds was not instantly clear Wednesday as Hidalgo’s marketing campaign, which additionally reported greater than $141,000 in marketing campaign expenditures for the submitting interval, didn’t reply to requests for remark and clarification.
“It’s uncommon that you simply see that on a marketing campaign finance steadiness sheet,” mentioned Brandon Rottinghaus, a College of Houston political science professor. “I truthfully can’t consider one other case the place I’ve seen one thing like that occur. That’s actually uncommon.”
RELATED: Decide Hidalgo, former staffers reimbursed practically $900,000 after ex-DA Ogg circumstances
Workplace holders and candidates had a Tuesday deadline to submit their marketing campaign finance experiences for the interval spanning between January and June. The filings come eight months forward of the March major elections.
Whether or not or not Hidalgo runs for reelection, the sphere for the Democrat major already consists of former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and present metropolis council member Letitia Plummer.
Amongst those that have declared their intentions to run for county choose – the highest elected official within the county that features Houston – Republican Aliza Dutt is main the funding race with greater than $246,000 in money available. The mayor of Piney Level, a small village in west Houston, personally loaned her marketing campaign greater than $118,000, based on the filings.
About $90,000, round 35%, of Dutt’s funds got here from 12 donors, together with six donations of $10,000. Two of these donations got here from leaders of William Bros Building and one other two got here from leaders of Dash Sand and Clay, each Houston-area development corporations.
Although the workplace is presently held by Hidalgo, her predecessor, Ed Emmett, was a Republican who held the workplace from 2007 to 2019.
Plummer, an at-large member of the Houston Metropolis Council first elected in 2019, is the most recent Democrat to throw her hat into the ring for county choose, saying her candidacy on July 8, after the tip of the submitting interval. The subsequent submitting deadline, for marketing campaign funds between July and December, is in January. Her marketing campaign made a July 8 submitting appointing a treasurer, based on the county’s on-line database.
Plummer’s final marketing campaign finance report with town was filed in December 2023, based on town’s on-line database, which reveals her marketing campaign had about $26,000 available at the moment.
A consultant of her marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to a Wednesday night request for extra up to date details about Plummer’s marketing campaign funds.
Parker, a fellow Democrat who served as Houston mayor from 2010 to 2016, reported $92,755 in money available.
About $20,000 of Parker’s funds, greater than one-fifth, got here from Gilbert Garcia, a former mayoral candidate who’s the managing accomplice of Houston-area funding agency Garcia Hamilton & Associates. One other $10,000 got here from Richard Holt, a managing accomplice with Houston-area consulting agency Alvarez & Marsal. Frank Liu, president of actual property company Lovett Business, donated $10,000 as effectively.
Collectively, greater than 75% of Parker’s funds got here from 10 donors.
“If candidates are elevating cash from a handful of donors, then it reveals a depth of assist, however not breadth of assist,” Rottinghaus mentioned. “That may change shortly, as a result of clearly, you realize, Parker hasn’t but ramped up her fundraising operation, because the form of marketing campaign course of continues to be fairly new, however this early assist undoubtedly is consistent with how individuals elevate cash. … Fundraising 101 dictates that you simply begin together with your core supporters after which work your means out. That’s, I believe, what she appears to be doing.”
Warren Howell, the proprietor of an insurance coverage firm, and Oscar Gonzales, a former sheriff’s deputy in Harris County, are the opposite Republican candidates vying together with Dutt for the occasion nomination. Gonzales reported $476 in accessible funds, whereas Howell reported $1,357 in accessible funds with $67,000 in excellent loans.
Erica Lee Carter, daughter of the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, mentioned in a current social media put up that she is contemplating a run for Harris County Decide, however provided that Hidalgo doesn’t search reelection. Carter received a particular election final November to full her mom’s time period in Texas’ 18th Congressional District.
