Money is pouring fast into the Texas governor’s race headlined by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who both reported massive early fundraising hauls Monday that puts the campaign on an accelerated track to become one of the nation’s most expensive in 2022.
O’Rourke said he raised $7.2 million in the weeks after entering the race in mid-November — a significant amount by the standards of Texas Democrats and an early marker of his ability to remain a fundraising powerhouse after failed bids for the U.S. Senate and president.
Abbott said he raised more than double that amount over the final months of 2021 and is now sitting on $65 million, underscoring his status as the nation’s most prolific fundraising governor in history and how his operation is supercharged by six- and seven-figure donations from wealthy Texas executives.
