During the March primary, the race to represent House District 54 in the Texas legislature featured the only incumbent Republican lawmaker who was forced into a runoff election. Republican State Representative Scott Cosper was challenged by Killeen veterinarian, Dr. Brad Buckley. A third contestant, Larry Smith, was also in the race but failed to make the runoff.

Ultimately, Buckley was successful in knocking off Cosper in what was widely seen as one of the most surprising upsets of the 2018 Election Cycle thus far.

Here’s a quick look at the numbers:

The race for HD 54 stirred up some serious divisions in the district because both men have deep roots in Killeen, both even graduated from the same high school. Cosper had served as the previous Mayor of Killeen, while Buckley had served on the Board of Trustees at Killeen ISD and had been Chairman of the Killeen Chamber of Commerce.

Key Takeaways from the HD 54 Race:

1. Establishment PACs Play Heavily.
   Three PACs who typically support Moderate Republicans invested heavily in Cosper’s campaign. Associated Republicans of Texas contributed over $125,000, the Texas House Leadership Fund donated just over $85,000, and Texans for Lawsuit Reform spent $37,500. Their involvement is interesting, given that none of the Conservative Republican PACs picked a candidate in the race. To many Austin insiders, the race initially looked like an establishment candidate versus an establishment incumbent due to local issues, instead of the usual proxy war between the moderate and conservative wings of Texas Republicans. Conventional wisdom assumed the winner would support the current House leadership team. However, since the establishment PACs opposed Buckley with so much cash, he may rethink that allegiance once the Legislature convenes in 2019.
2. Importance of In-District Donors.
   Beating an incumbent, even a one-term incumbent, is always an uphill battle. But netting more in-district donors than the current officeholder is one sure way to tip the scales. Buckley had more donations from voters in the district than Cosper, and he had a higher percentage of overall money raised from inside the district as well.  Since donors are highly likely to vote, this certainly helped Buckley on election day.
3. Legislators Unsuccessfully Tried to Protect Their Own.
   Cosper was the lone House Republican incumbent pushed to a May runoff election. Eight of his colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives tried to save him, donating a total $16,970 to Cosper’s campaign, with contributions from State Representative Chris Paddie accounting for over half of that amount at $8,970. Two former members, John Otto and Jimmie Don Aycock, (former Rep. from HD54), also supported him financially.

Before you go…

In what seems to be their first entrance into Texas politics, the National Cutting Horse Association and their affiliated PAC contributed $25,000 to Buckley’s runoff campaign. Buckley serves as the Regional Director for the NCHA, and the list of NCHA benefactors includes some of the heaviest hitters in Texas campaign finance, including the Walton family of WalMart and Juliana and Peter Holt, owners of the San Antonio Spurs basketball franchise.

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.