Top Democrats are rushing cash to Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, as some in the party begin to believe she could pull off an improbable upset. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and the Democratic Governors Association are each sending $1 million to support her bid, Mr. Pritzker and a top D.
G. A. official said on Tuesday. The money could be significant for her: She had just $4 million or so on hand at the end of last month, according to Texas campaign finance reports.
Her Republican opponent, Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, began his re-election campaign with $100 million, but new fund-raising numbers on Tuesday showed that he was down to $18 million on hand by the end of September. Polls of Texas show a tightening race, with Ms. Hinojosa holding a narrow lead in a recent survey from The New York Times and Siena University.
Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas since 1994. But some in the party believe that the unpopularity of President Trump and of Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate, have put the state in play. The Democratic nominee for Senate, James Talarico, has emerged as one of the party’s national fund-raising darlings, raising more $70 million. Ms. Hinojosa, like many candidates for governor, has struggled to raise substantial sums.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing