HD147 special (Safe D): The candidates’ 30-day-out reports campaign finance reports were due Friday in the May 7 special election to fill the unexpired term of former Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), who resigned. These reports disclose contributions received and expenditures made between February 20 and March 28.

Jolanda Jones out-raised Danielle Keys Bess, $78K to $31K, and outspent her, $30K to $16K. Jones holds a $69K to $23K advantage in cash on hand.

Jones’s largest contributors for the period included Texas Trial Lawyers Assoc. PAC ($10K), Houston executive Theldon Branch III ($5K), Houston energy executive Steven Kean ($5K), Katy manager Brent Pollack ($5K), Austin consultant Anthony Haley ($3K), Collective PAC ($3K) and HillCo PAC ($2.5K). Coleman contributed $1K, as did Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio).

Bess’s largest contributors for the period included Houston manager Roger Harris ($7K), Houston homebuilder Sharone Marshall ($5K) and Houston real estate agent Gerald Womack ($5K). She also reported $30K in pledges, including a $20K pledge from Black Women of Greater Houston PAC, that are not included in her fundraising totals.

Jones and Bess also face one another in the May 24 primary runoff election. The special election will determine who fills Coleman’s unexpired term. The runoff essentially will determine who will win a full term beginning in 2023.

HD23 open (Likely R): Rep. Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) endorsed Terri Leo-Wilson to succeed him. She faces Patrick Gurski in the Republican runoff.

HD52 open (Lean R): Texas Alliance for Life PAC endorsed Pat McGuinness (R) in the runoff over Caroline Harris. The group previously endorsed Nelson Jarrin, who finished third in the primary. Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC endorsed Harris. TLR PAC did not endorse in the primary.

HD60 open (Safe R): U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) endorsed challenger Mike Olcott (R) in the runoff over Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Graford).

CD34 special (Lean R): Gov. Greg Abbott (R) endorsed Mayra Flores, the Republican nominee for the general election.

Meanwhile, the URL dansanchezforcongress.com points to Flores’s WinRed fundraising page.

Harris Co.: Two current and one former aide to County Judge Lina Hidalgo (D) have been indicted on charges of misuse of official information and tampering with government records. The charges arose from a 2021 contract award for a vaccine outreach campaign that was canceled by Hidalgo later that year. At least two of the three individuals charged in the case have proclaimed their innocence.

©2022 Texas Election Source LLC