Oliveira leads Shergold in race for campaign cash

State Rep. Rene O. Oliveira’s campaign war chest ballooned this year with sizeable donations from energy companies, bringing his contributions to roughly $107,000, compared to $20,924 for challenger John Shergold.

Oliveira, D-Brownsville, and Shergold seek the March 4 Democratic Party nomination to represent District 37. Both are attorneys.

Oliveira is serving his 12th term in office, 24 years, and he’s backed by big business. Texas Energy Future Capital Holdings pumped $10,000 into Oliveira’s campaign, while the Texas Employee Political Action Committee of TXU contributed $2,500. TXU, now known as Energy Future Holdings Corp., completed a merger late last year, Securities and Exchange Commission records show. Texas Energy Future Capital Holdings is a general partner with the newly-named company.

Oliveira also received $6,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which generally backs GOP candidates, and $5,500 from the Democratic-leaning Texas Trial Lawyers.

Oliveira points to his “broad base of support. I’m not ashamed of that. I’m proud of it.”

“I get contributions from both sides. To me that is the ultimate compliment,” Oliveira said.

“I have special interests and the special interests are the children and the people of this community and I work very hard for them. I don’t work for those other people. Now, if they want to send me contributions, I’m not going to be a fool and reject them,” said Oliveira in a recent interview to be aired soon on Brownsville 2020TV.

Nor did he refuse $1,000 in tickets to San Antonio Spurs games from TXU lobbyists. Oliveira said he receives hundreds of invitations each year and refuses the vast majority, but he really wanted to see the Spurs games.

Shergold’s contributions are mostly $500 or less. The largest is an in-kind donation worth $4,000 from Efrain Zamora Jr., who prepared his campaign web site.

Shergold has highlighted ethics on his four-point platform and said he believes Oliveira changed throughout the years and no longer champions the middle class and poor.

“His democratic mentors were the same ones I had,” Shergold said. Shergold said that if Lyndon Johnson knew that Oliveira was taking money from a tort-reform group, “he’d be rolling in his grave.”

“We need a legislator that is going to take positions. Is he on the side of the Trial Lawyers Association or is he on the side of the Texas tort-reform group?” Shergold said.

Shergold charged that Oliveira accepted the tickets from TXU lobbyists and then opposed legislation to protect citizens from higher electric rates. He said he would never take a dime from political action committees, lobbyists, or special interest groups.

“Unlike my opponent, I will not take any money from anyone if I do not have an opponent,” Shergold said.

Public records show that Oliveira has not been opposed since 1998, when Mike Rodriguez challenged him.

Since that time, Oliveira has raised $600,194 and spent slightly more.

The contributions subsidize an array of expenses including car rentals, airfare, charitable donations, political contributions to friends, cell telephones, maid service, groceries, supplies, advertising and contract labor.

“That is one thing I will not do,” Shergold said of raising funds when unopposed. “That is one of the worst things a politician can do.”

Contributions and expenditures in the District 37 race for state representative.

Incumbent State Rep. Rene O. Oliveira has amassed $107,162 in contributions and has spent $90,282.

Challenger John Shergold has received $20,924 in contributions and has spent $10,567.

SOURCE: Texas Ethics Commission.

Note: Oliveira has been unopposed since 1998 and continued fundraising activities between then and now.