Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Texas State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. It includes activity between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Texas State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in Texas State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they *****ARE/WERE***** on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Morgan LaMantia (District 27) – $554,010
- Sarah Eckhardt (District 14) – $182,226
- Judith Zaffirini (District 21) – $167,361
- Gwenn Burud (District 9) – $152,699
- Sara Stapleton-Barrera (District 27) – $146,783
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Dawn Buckingham – $1,542,046
- Peter P. Flores (District 24) – $1,320,797
- Mayes Middleton (District 11) – $479,935
- Donna Campbell (District 25) – $469,865
- Kevin Sparks (District 31) – $437,011
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $2.3 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $8.4 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, filing period raised $10.7 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 52 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 51 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – TEXAS STATE SENATE (Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Dawn Buckingham | Republican Party | $1,542,046 | $3,065,708 |
| Peter P. Flores | Republican Party | $1,320,797 | $1,547,632 |
| Morgan LaMantia | Democratic Party | $554,010 | $3,580,439 |
| Mayes Middleton | Republican Party | $479,935 | $1,878,654 |
| Donna Campbell | Republican Party | $469,865 | $604,528 |
| Kevin Sparks | Republican Party | $437,011 | $981,882 |
| Tan Parker | Republican Party | $400,941 | $992,605 |
| Ellen Troxclair | Republican Party | $392,776 | $801,291 |
| Raul Reyes Jr. | Republican Party | $384,644 | $537,760 |
| Phil King | Republican Party | $376,988 | $1,194,633 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Semiannual | 1/18/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary (30 Days) | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary (8 Days) | 2/22/2022 |
| 2022 Primary Runoff | 5/16/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/15/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General (30 Days) | 10/11/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General (8 Days) | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual Data | 1/17/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.