O'Rourke, Castro Top Early 2020 Fundraising in Texas, But Other White House Hopefuls Make Key Inroads

Democratic presidential hopefuls from outside of Texas are ringing up the Lone Star State for campaign cash, already raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in a state that could prove to be pivotal in the 2020 election.And if dollars end up equaling delegates in next year’s high-stakes primary, then native sons Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro are on notice.The former El Paso congressman and the former U.S housing secretary remain the odds-on favorites to carry their home state, particularly after O’Rourke quickly brought in $2.1 million from Texas through the end of March and Castro raised $420,000 there during that time.But others have also found early fundraising success in Texas, demonstrating their ability to siphon off support in a delegate-rich state that’s now forward on the primary calendar.Six non-Texan contenders have so far brought in more than $100,000 from Texas: California Sen. Kamala Harris, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg.That battle is likely to only intensify, especially if former Vice President Joe Biden enters the race as expected.“It’s going to be a contested, tough race in Texas,” said Domingo Garcia, the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens and a Dallas politico who’s donated so far to Sanders, Castro and Warren. “Both Beto and Julián are going to have to work at it.”  Continue reading...