Candidates seek seat in Austin
The run is on for the campaign dollar, and the incumbent in the race for the state House District 38 seat apparently is reaping the benefits of incumbency.
From July 1 through Dec. 31, 2011, Democrat Eddie Lucio III of Brownsville raised $70,060, according to the statement of campaign contributions and expenditures that he filed with the Texas Ethics Commission this month.
His Republican challenger, Alejandro “Alex” Torres of Harlingen, reported no contributions for the period covering Sept. 6, 2011, through Jan. 14 this year.
Lucio III said he is taking Torres’ challenge seriously.
“We will have a full-fledged and well-funded campaign,” Lucio III told The Brownsville Herald.
For his part, Torres said he is not dissuaded by the big bucks that Lucio III raises.
“You won’t see dollar signs in my eyes,” Torres said.
Lucio reported expenditures of $65,481 for the July-to-December period, while Torres noted expenditures from his personal funds totaling $1,400 during his reporting period, which was shorter.
For now, Lucio III and Torres are the only candidates for the state House District 38 seat, but there could be more. There will be a second candidate-filing period for both the Democratic and Republican primaries in view of the uncertainty over new district maps.
Lucio III continues to be a formidable fundraiser like his father, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.
The only thing that stopped Lucio III from fundraising in the first half of 2011 was the 82nd Legislative session, but he raked in campaign dollars before and after the session, his statements show.
In 2010, Lucio III raised $188,154. All in all since he first campaigned for state representative in late 2005, Lucio III has raised $943,292, but he also has spent it throughout the years for a stream of expenses including campaigning, consultants, meals, a campaign vehicle, gasoline, maintenance and upkeep of an Austin residence, donations to schools and youth groups, rental of storage space, gifts for staff and constituents, security services and supplies. He reported approximately $20,000 in contributions that he had on hand as of Dec. 31, 2011.
Houston magnate Bob J. Perry, a homebuilder who regularly donates to both Democrats and Republicans — but more to Republicans — is the top donor to Lucio III’s campaign.
From July 1 to Dec. 31, 2011, Perry donated $35,000 to Lucio III’s campaign, the statement shows. Perry also had donated $21,500 to Lucio III in 2010.
Other Republican-friendly contributors to Lucio III’s campaign include Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that advocates civil liability limits, which donated $5,000 for the reporting period; and HillCo Partners, a lobbying firm that donated $2,000. Other donors include mostly lobbyists and political action committees.
“As always, I have a diverse group of donors to the campaign and that is because of our approach to the process and the treatment of people,” Lucio III said.
He said the contributions do not influence him and noted, for example, that he voted last year against the Omnibus Tort Reform bill, a measure that Texans for Lawsuit Reform backed. “I didn’t think it was good public policy. I take every issue on its merits,” Lucio III said.
He added that donors in large part provide contributions to candidates who have an open-door policy.
Lucio III said this is the first time that he has had an opponent in a re-election bid and that he is not going to take anything for granted. He pointed to the inroads that the Tea Party has made and the uncertainty over district lines.
Torres said he had just held a fundraiser but that it is very difficult to raise money for the campaign. “I believe that Republicans should back up their own party,” Torres said, noting that some people and groups are jumping to the conclusion that certain candidates are going to win.
“I have struggled, but I am in the campaign and I am in it for the long run,” Torres said. “The race hasn’t begun.”
