Democratic challengers outraised Republicans in a pair of San Antonio-area state House races considered to be some of their party’s best pickup opportunities this November.
In House District 118, Democrat Kristian Carranza raised $264,000 between Feb. 25 and June 30 for her race against state House Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio). The Southside district has long been Democratic territory, but Lujan flipped it in a special election in 2021 and defended it in the 2022 midterm.
Lujan didn’t face a challenger in the primary, so his most recent report covers a longer span, from Jan. 1 to June 30. He raised $70,000, spent $55,000 and reported $13,000 cash on hand.
In House District 121, Democrat Laurel Jordan Swift raised $100,800, including $26,000 in-kind campaign help from the Texas Democratic Party, between Feb. 25 and June 30 for her race against Republican Marc LaHood. Swift has spent $42,000, and reported $35,000 cash on hand as of June 30.
LaHood raised roughly $72,000 in that same span, including about $38,000 worth of in-kind campaign help from Gov. Greg Abbott. LaHood spent $44,000, and reported $52,000 cash on hand.
The Northside district has been a Republican stronghold, but state and national Democratic groups took an interest after Abbott poured money in to defeat GOP incumbent Steve Allison in the primary — part of a statewide push to oust members of his own party who opposed his school voucher program.
“Abbott overplayed his hand when he went after Steve Allison… and this district is not having any of it,” Swift, an orthopedic device salesperson, said at a gathering of young Democrats on Friday. “I’ve been meeting with Republicans. They’ve been giving me money.”
Republicans hold 86 seats to Democrats’ 64 seats in the Texas house, and there are few truly competitive districts that either party could flip.
But these two races took on new importance amid the governor’s school voucher push, which suddenly looked a lot more likely to happen next session after a number of Republicans who helped stop them lost to more conservative primary challengers.
Both Lujan and LaHood support school vouchers, which if passed would send state money to parents so their children could attend private schools, and have received big money from Abbott in previous races.
Abbott is not on the ballot this November, but announced Tuesday that he has $51 million in his campaign account that could be used to help other candidates.
Carranza, who previously worked as a political organizer, has been raising money off the idea that Democrats can thwart Abbott’s voucher plan if they flip just a few state House seats this November. Her race in traditionally blue territory is among their best prospects, she says.
She’s spent roughly $48,000 since the March primary, and reported $191,00 cash on hand.
“I’m going to have a tough race,” Lujan said in an interview in April. “The Democrats have my seat as one of the ones that they want to take out.”
