(C) Texas Tribune
This story was first published on Texas Tribune.org[1]
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The Blast: A third special session, the Texas AG money race, and an infrastructure ad campaign
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Date: 2021-09
GUZMAN LEADS GOP FUNDRAISING FOR AG, WHILE DEM MERRITT LEADS OVERALL
Eva Guzman, one of the primary challengers to Attorney General Ken Paxton, outraised Paxton and another Republican opponent, George P. Bush, on the latest fundraising reports. At the same time, a Democratic candidate for the job, Lee Merritt, outraised them all.
The reports that came out Monday morning were prompted by the first special legislative session and covered July 7-Aug. 6.
Guzman, the former state Supreme Court justice, raised $193,000, while Bush, the land commissioner, took in $158,000, including $6,000 in in-kind donations. Paxton reported just $39,000 in contributions.
Merritt, the nationally recognized civil rights attorney, launched his campaign toward the start of the latest fundraising period — July 13 — and went on to raise $285,000. He had vastly more individual donations than the GOP candidates, disclosing over 8,200 contributions.
The latest fundraising filing for another Democratic contender for attorney general, Joe Jaworski, wasn't immediately available.
The competitive fundraising is another sign of the early and serious interest in the race to be the state's top law enforcement official. Paxton has been dogged by legal troubles for years, including a securities fraud indictment months after he took office in 2015. He's also under FBI investigation over claims he abused his office to aid a wealthy donor. He's denied wrongdoing in both cases. — Patrick Svitek
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