Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Re-election Campaign Burns Through $1 Million a Month – and Is About to Spend More

AUSTIN -- Gov. Greg Abbott is spending about $1 million a month on his re-election, while each of his two leading Democratic rivals haven't yet harvested that much in contributions.And Abbott is about to unleash even bigger spending, a campaign spokesman said Monday.On the Democratic side, Houston investor Andrew White loaned his campaign $1 million last month, a spokeswoman said.White raised nearly $139,000 from others, while former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez's campaign declined to elaborate on a remark she made last week indicating her fundraising had hit the six-figure range.White spokeswoman Desi Canela declined to say how much cash he had on hand as of Jan. 25, the end of the latest reporting period.Abbott continues to sit on more than $43 million -- $43.27 million to be precise, according to campaign spokesman John Wittman. As of Dec. 31, the figure was $43.33 million.Factoids and spinCandidates had until midnight Monday to electronically file so-called 30 day prior reports with the Texas Ethics Commission. If submitted by mail, they had to be postmarked no later than Monday.As has become almost standard practice, the Abbott and White campaigns emailed reporters snippets from their filings.Wittman tossed in some favorable facts, such as that nearly 96 percent of Abbott's new contributions came from Texas. The average donation was $390, he said.White added some self-applauding spin."Democrats will need a war chest to beat Gov. Abbott in the fall," he said in a written statement. "We've started building one today."Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 25, Abbott raised nearly $1.1 million and spent almost $900,000.  Continue reading...