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Gov. Greg Abbott raised $15 million in 12-day window after regular legislative session

KERA | By Patrick Svitek | The Texas Tribune

Published July 13, 2023 at 9:09 AM CDT

Gov. Greg Abbott answers questions from reporters during a Capitol bill-signing ceremony on June 6, 2023.

The governor, whose term ends in 2026, closed June with $23 million in his campaign fund.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that he raised more than $15 million in the last 12 days of June.

It was the most money Abbott had collected after a legislative session that followed a statewide election. He raised $12.1 million over a comparable period in 2019 and $8.3 million over a comparable period in 2015.

Statewide officials and lawmakers are not allowed to fundraise around regular legislative sessions. The moratorium, lifted on June 19 this year, gave officials 12 days to raise money before the reporting period closed.

The latest filing is due to the Texas Ethics Commission on Monday.

Abbott’s most recent haul brought his cash on hand to more than $23 million, his campaign said. Abbott is rebuilding his reserves after spending big against his 2022 Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke, who lost to the governor by 11 percentage points.

Abbott’s campaign also said the $15 million came from “more than 5,200 contributors, with more than 94% coming from Texans.”

“Texans from every corner of the state continue to champion Governor Abbott's conservative agenda to build a brighter, more prosperous future for Texas,” Abbott campaign manager Kim Snyder said in a statement.

In a less typical move, Abbott’s campaign also distributed a laudatory quote from Tilman Fertitta, the Houston billionaire and Texas GOP megadonor. Fertitta said he “will continue to support Governor Abbott to ensure that the Texas of tomorrow continues to be full of the freedom and opportunity that make this state special.”

Abbott raked in the $15 million late last month as lawmakers were in a special session and gridlocked over one of his top legislative priorities: property-tax relief. They announced a deal Monday and are expected to send it to the governor before the end of the week.

Abbott has said he will call another special session this fall to consider education issues, including his priority push for a “school choice” program that lets parents use taxpayer dollars to take their kids out of public schools.