Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Wendy Davis reported late Monday that she has $5.7 million in campaign cash left about a month before Election Day -- about five times less than her Republican opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott.
Davis Spokesman Zac Petkanas said the Fort Worth state senator took in $6.8 million in cash donations between July 1 and Sept. 25. That includes Davis' campaign and affiliated groups such as Battleground Texas, a much ballyhooed political action committee committed to making one of America's most-conservative states more competitive for Democrats.
She also raised another roughly $1 million via in-kind donations over the same period.
Petkanas said Davis' war chest now includes $3.2 million in Davis' campaign account, $1.9 million through the Texas Victory Committee, $475,000 from Battleground Texas and $63,000 in her officeholder account.
Abbott reported having $30.1 million in cash on-hand last week. He also said he raised $7.8 million between July 1 and Sept. 25, though it wasn't clear how much of that was in-kind donations -- making it difficult to draw direct comparisons with Davis' $6.8 million cash figure over that about 3-month span.
Monday was the deadline to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission for a key deadline 30 days before the election. Full reports were not yet available, but each campaign announced early totals.
Davis became a national political star in liberal circles following her nearly 13-hour filibuster in the Texas Legislature that temporarily blocked sweeping abortion restrictions last summer. She has shattered Texas Democratic fundraising records by attracting donors across the state and country.
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Still, Abbott has won support from tea party groups and mainstream Republicans, and amassed a huge war chest before the race even began. As attorney general since 2002, he patiently waited for Gov. Rick Perry to step aside so he could vie to replace him.
In a statement Monday, Abbott's campaign crowed that Davis was "almost broke."
Petkanas countered, "While Greg Abbott obviously believes he can take it with him, we are putting the resources to work each and every day to show voters that Wendy Davis is a fighter for all hard-working Texans."
