The Democratic nominee to replace U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) is outraising her Republican counterpart — a sign the party is growing optimistic about its chances in deep-red territory this election cycle.
Meanwhile GOP leaders in D.C. are spending big to boost a congresswoman’s brother in a different San Antonio-area district that was created to help their party pick up seats.
Campaign finance reports were due Thursday for federal candidates, offering the first look at money raised and spent since the March primary.
Candidates for Congress and U.S. Senate typically report their fundraising on a quarterly basis, but these reports only cover Feb. 12 through March 31, since some of this quarter was already covered in pre-primary reports that were due just before the election.
After Republicans’ mid-cycle redistricting effort last summer, 43% of Bexar County residents now live in a different congressional district than they did in 2024.
Texas’ new congressional maps can be viewed here. Find out which district you landed in by using the Texas Tribune’s district finder.
Here are the top takeaways from the latest campaign finance reports.
Padilla Stout outraises Herrera by four times in TX23 race
Political watchers across the country are suddenly tuned in to Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, where allegations of sexual misconduct caused then-incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) to drop his reelection bid days after the March primary.
The massive San Antonio-to-El Paso district is still considered quite red.
But in the midst of Gonzales’ fall from grace, Democrats’ nominee to replace him, child welfare attorney Katy Padilla Stout, said she’s seen renewed interest from donors who had given up on a district that voted overwhelmingly for Republicans in recent years.
Campaign finance reports covering Feb. 12 through March 31 indicate Padilla Stout brought in roughly four times as much money as her Republican opponent, YouTube creator Brandon Herrera, who maintains a healthy advantage in cash-on-hand.
Padilla Stout raised roughly $190,000 to Herrera’s $50,000 in the same six-week span.
But Herrera reported about $300,000 in the bank as of March 31, to Padilla Stout’s $150,000.
It’s unclear whether the candidates will have to spend some of that money on a special election before November, now that Gonzales has resigned from office.
Republicans currently hold just a two-seat majority in the U.S. House, and some in the party believe Gov. Greg Abbott should call a special election to give them another vote.
But Democrats have been winning special elections in tough territory since Trump’s return to office, and would almost certainly make a play for this one as well.
A special election could include additional candidates who sign up to run in a jungle primary-style race, but Padilla Stout and Herrera are locked in as their party’s nominees for November.
Out-of-state donors: Both Padilla Stout and Herrera took in many contributions from outside of Texas.
Padilla Stout is getting help from groups that bundle on behalf of Democratic candidates nationwide, including Emily’s List and Bold PAC, while Herrera has benefitted from a national profile as a gun influencer.
Interestingly, Don Henley, lead singer of the Eagles, cut Padilla Stout a $1,000 check.
National Republicans have rallied around Herrera as their nominee, including endorsements from Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).
But his report doesn’t show the same personal contributions from House GOP leaders as another San Antonio-area candidate, Carlos De La Cruz.
Herrera has shown some ability to self-fund, loaning his campaign $420,000 ahead of a tough GOP primary where he finished first. His most recent report indicates the campaign is carrying about $570,000 in debt.
National GOP leaders boost congresswoman’s brother in TX35
Texas’ 35th Congressional District was redrawn to give Republicans another pickup opportunity this cycle, and the latest campaign finance reports indicate GOP leaders in D.C. want the new San Antonio-area seat to go to Carlos De La Cruz, the brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg).
Carlos De La Cruz is a retired Air Force veteran whose campaign wasn’t particularly active before party leaders swooped in the day before early voting.
Their endorsements came as a surprise to some Texas GOP leaders who saw the district as a natural fit for a different Republican, popular state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), who finished first in the March primary, but now trails De La Cruz is fundraising headed into the May 26 runoff.
De La Cruz reported about $220,000 raised between Feb. 12 and March 31 — more than any other congressional candidate running to represent the Bexar County area — and reported about $140,000 on hand.
That’s compared to Lujan’s $150,000 raised in the same span and $115,000 on hand.
“We were the top fundraiser this quarter and have nearly twice the cash on hand heading into the election because Texans are ready for a real conservative fighter, not another career politician who talks right and governs left,” De La Cruz said in a statement.
De La Cruz’s report is chock full of checks from GOP leaders in Washington: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), and leadership PACs aligned with U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Missouri) and Monica De La Cruz — who faces her own tough race this year.
About a third of De La Cruz’s haul came from conservative PACs, while a group aligned with AI industry leaders also spent for him in the primary.
Meanwhile Lujan’s report noted contributions from more local political influencers, including businesswoman Hope Andrade, and he’s racked up endorsements from state lawmakers and other local elected officials.
“He’s got me on the federal side because of his sister,” Lujan said of his opponent. “But if it was down to local, on-the-ground stuff, we would win easily.”
Democrats trail in fundraising for tough TX35 race
Democrats also have a runoff in this race, but neither candidate is bringing in the type of money De La Cruz and Lujan raised.
Redistricting pushed the district’s progressive incumbent U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin) into a different district, but party leaders still plan to compete for the seat if they can get their favored candidate through the primary.
National Democrats are hanging their hopes on longtime Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Garcia, who brought in about $90,000 between Feb. 12 and March 31, compared to just $5,000 raised by housing activist Maureen Galindo, who shocked political watchers by finishing first in the primary.
Garcia says his haul is evidence he’s the only one who can assemble the serious campaign needed to win in November. But he’s also faced some questions from fellow Democrats about help received from a pro-Israel PAC and a group aligned with congressional moderates.
“I can’t control who decides to put their support in me,” Garcia told the North East Bexar County Democrats (NEBCD) at a forum on Saturday. “But from the get-go — since we launched in October — there’s been only one candidate in this race that has come out as the front-runner, and has garnered the support that we haven’t had here in Texas.”
Galindo, meanwhile, believes she can continue to pick up votes with more grassroots-style campaign tactics.
“I’m not taking money from Israel … or from the Blue Dog Democrats, who are constantly voting with the Republicans, for war with Iran, for ICE,” Galindo said at the NEBCD forum. “I’m not compromised. And I’m going to fight against all of those things that are taking away our rights in Texas.”
Quieter races in TX20 and TX21
Campaign spending in two other San Antonio-area districts has been relatively quiet in recent weeks.
Texas’ 20th Congressional District, represented by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), was made even bluer in redistricting and isn’t on either national party’s radar for November.
It gained a lot of new voters when it went from a primarily Westside district to one that covers most of downtown, and Republican Edgardo Baez hopes to court some of those newcomers who haven’t voted for Castro in the past.
The political newcomer raised $1,500 between Feb. 12 and March 31 and reported about $5,400 on hand.
Castro did not have a report on the Federal Election Commission website as of Thursday afternoon.
Texas’ 21st Congressional featured a heated GOP primary in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs), but also isn’t likely to draw big spending this fall because it’s drawn so overwhelmingly red.
Former Major League Baseball player Mark Teixeira blew the crowded field of GOP contenders out of the water in fundraising, and secured the nomination without a runoff.
Teixeira put $2.75 million of his own money into his campaign, and got big help from outside groups. That loan is still reflected on his most recent report, meaning he could eventually repay himself from other fundraising.
He brought in $180,000 this round and reported about $260,000 on hand.
He faces Democrat Kristin Hook in November, who did not have a report listed as of Thursday afternoon. She’d raised about $100,000 for the race as of Feb. 11.
Massive spending the Texas Senate race
In Texas’ U.S. Senate race, Democrat James Talarico‘s campaign reported raising $10 million since the primary, and an astounding $27 million total haul in the first quarter of 2026.
He didn’t quite top Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s best quarter of his own U.S. Senate race in 2018, but he’s raised a lot more money much earlier in the race. He’s also outperforming Democrats’ U.S. Senate candidates in other top races across the country, according to CNN.
Talarico won his primary outright, while Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and his challenger Attorney General Ken Paxton are still battling it out in an expensive May 26 primary runoff.
Cornyn’s campaign said he raised $9 million across several supporting groups in Q1, including $3.4 million in the weeks since the primary, where he finished first. He had $8 million on hand as of March 31.
Paxton reported that he’d raised $2.2 million in Q1 and had $2.6 million on hand between his campaign and joint fundraising committee. His campaign didn’t say how much of that money had been raised after the March primary.
Both Cornyn and Paxton also have super PACs helping them.
The pro-Cornyn group Texans for a Conservative Majority raised about $9.5 million in the first quarter, while the pro-Paxton Lone Star Liberty PAC raised about $2.1 million, according to the Texas Tribune.
