Money raised in a campaign is said to be one of the best predictors of its success. If that’s the case, State Rep. Jason Villalba should be sweating.
While the highly anticipated campaign finance reports for the most recent reporting period, spanning July through December of last year, are not due until early next week, HD 114 candidate Lisa Luby Ryan announced in a press release she has raised a stunning $270,000 for her campaign to oust Villalba.
Equally as impressive, Ryan revealed the contributions came from 270 individual donors, a metric that indicates strong grassroots support behind her campaign.
Ryan’s fundraising success so far should be very concerning to Villalba, whose most recent report following the special session in July showed an anemic $29,039.24 in his campaign account. Villalba, who earned a failing grade of 43 on the most recent Fiscal Responsibility Index, has gained notoriety as a boisterous voice against conservatives, while simultaneously failing to be respected by establishment leadership for his litany of major gaffes, including most recently calling for “common sense gun control” reforms by the Texas Legislature.
With the March primary election less than two months away, financial support for Lisa Luby Ryan appears be even stronger than anticipated. Ryan’s fundraising totals should have Villalba terrified.