The race to represent State House District 8 (HD8) was one of the most high-profile and costly of the last election cycle. Longtime State Representative Byron Cook, chairman of the powerful State Affairs Committee, was challenged by young businessman Thomas McNutt.

Here’s a quick look at the numbers:

HD8 is one of a growing number of hybrid districts in Texas: by no means urban, but also not completely rural. Having no major metropolitan area usually means a district is populated by small towns, which HD8 has plenty of, but there are also larger cities where a significant portion of the voting population resides; in this case Corsicana, Palestine, and Hillsboro make up the larger cities in the district. Both State Rep. Cook and Mr. McNutt reside in Corsicana.

Incumbents naturally have the ability to raise more money than their challengers due to connections they’ve made while serving in office, particularly with lobbyists. Challengers usually have a more difficult time securing funds, especially if they are long-shot candidates, as many considered Mr. McNutt to be at the outset of this race.

Key takeaways from the HD8 race:

1. The power of lobbyists to pump dollars into races still holds true.
   Money from outside the district made up over 95% of the funds State Rep. Cook secured. Not only was he able to out-raise his opponent 2–1, but he also outspent Mr. McNutt by an almost 3–1 margin. State Rep. Cook had spent years building up a war chest to ward off challengers who might look to unseat him, raising funds even when he didn’t have an opponent. Every dollar came in handy, as he successfully utilized the money raised this cycle and his reserves to spend over $1.2 million.
2. Relationships in-district matter.
   Securing financial support from individuals helps not only pay the bills, but almost always guarantees that the voter will show up to support the candidate at the ballot box on Election Day. It also means the voter is more likely to bring friends or family with them to the polls. People rarely give money to things they aren’t passionate about, and with over 2.5 times as many in-district donations, Mr. McNutt has clearly built a solid base in the district.
3. Next time will likely be different.
   Should Mr. McNutt decide to challenge State Rep. Cook again in 2018, even as sitting chairman of the State Affairs Committee, State Rep. Cook  might not be able to hold on. As of the last reporting period, State Rep. Cook is sitting on nearly $300,000 in his campaign account. Should Mr. McNutt continue to build relationships in HD8, the numbers point to a different outcome next go-around. Given the number of in-district donations and cost per vote, should these two meet again, State Rep. Cook will likely have the monumental task of needing to raise even more money than he did this election cycle.

Before you go…

An interesting note from our analysis:

Of Mr. McNutt’s top 25 donors, 7 were entities and 18 were individuals.

Of State Rep. Cook’s top 25 donors, 24 were entities and 1 was an individual.

Our Race to Raise series takes a deeper look at the most high-profile races of the election cycle, focusing specifically on money raised by those seeking to serve in public office. Stay tuned for the next installment.