The web site's examination of the statements that list contributions, loans and expenditures for the first half of 2009 found that state representatives who represent the GOP rounded up more than $17 million combined in new money after the prohibition on donations during the session expired with only nine days remaining in June.
House Democrats, who hope to reclaim a majority at the polls in 2010 after making steady gains during the past three election cycles, generated $567,000 collectively during the brief fundraising window last month after the session adjourned June 1 and the veto period ended three weeks later.
But there's a huge catch! When the money that House Speaker Joe Straus and State Rep. Dan Branch, a likely candidate for attorney general next year, is subtracted from the total, the other 74 House Republicans actually raised less than their Democratic rivals in the lower chamber with combined contributions and loans of only $446,000.
Straus and Branch reported donations of $721,000 and $565,000 respectively between June 22 and June 30. Straus ended June with a campaign surplus of $883,000 and deposited almost $300,000 more into his account on July 1. Branch, a Dallas attorney who could face former Solicitor General Ted Cruz in a GOP primary battle for the Republican nomination in the AG's race in March, had a cash surplus of $1.1 million on the last day of June.
The sour economy and stiff competition for campaign cash from the candidates for governor, the U.S. Senate and other statewide posts didn't appear to dampen fundraising by House members during the reporting period. The amount of contributions that House members corralled after the session ended was on par with the totals they posted two years ago at this particular point in the last election cycle.
While seven House members raised more than $50,000 during the final nine days of June, Straus and Branch were the only two state representatives who eclipsed the six-figure fundraising mark on their semi-annual reports.
Eighteen state representatives - 11 Republicans and seven Democrats - raised at least $20,000 during the final nine days of June when the ban on fundraising ended. About half of the 20 House members who raised the most campaign cash during that time have been targeted for defeat by the opposing political parties in 2010.
Thirty-three House Republicans and 28 Democrats didn't raise any new cash for re-election campaigns during the first six months of 2009.
The 20 biggest spenders during that time shelled out $55,000 or more on re-election bids during the first six months of the year. While the six House members who reported the largest expenditures were all Republicans, nine of the top 20 campaign spenders were Democrats.
Speaker Tom Craddick, who didn't raise any new money last month, still ranked first in both cash on hand and campaign expenditures for the reporting period. Craddick ended June with a campaign surplus of almost $1.9 million after spending nearly $267,000 between January 1 and June 30.
Straus ranked second in spending behind Craddick while Republican State Rep. Joe Crabb and Branch were third and fourth respectively in that particular category.
Forty-nine House members had more than $100,000 in cash on hand at the midway point in 2009 while 27 of those had more than $200,000 in the campaign bank on June 30.
Only one Democrat - State Rep. Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City - cracked the top ten in cash on hand with a surplus of $513,000 heading into the second half of 2009. Guillen ranked third in fundraising behind Straus and Branch thanks to a $75,000 loan to his campaign.
Sixteen of the 20 state representatives with the largest surpluses were Republicans.
