The most striking aspect of the 1998 Texas
House elections is the extent to which incumbents exploit their fundraising
advantages to not only defeat challengers but—even more frequently—scare
them off altogether. Incumbents quickly learn how special-interest
money flows to those who occupy seats of political power. As this
report details, regardless of whether or not they face challengers, incumbent
House members raised enough money to build a gilded, gated community around
the Texas capitol. This gated community, the foundation of which
is the incumbent fundraising advantage, keeps incumbents in and challengers
out. It is a rare challenger who can raise enough funds to seize
an occupied seat within the gated community.
The major findings of this report include:
The total amount raised by 1998 House general
election winners was $17.8 million, a 22 percent increase over the $14.6
million raised by 1996 winners;
In the 1998 primary elections, only
19 (14 percent) of the 132 House incumbents seeking reelection faced a
challenger (just five challengers defeated an incumbent);
In the 1998 general elections, only
36 (28 percent) of the 127 remaining House incumbents faced a challenger
(challengers defeated just two of these incumbents);
The 52 incumbents who faced a challenge in
either the 1998 primary election, general election or both, raised $8.7
million, while their 71 opponents raised only $3.6 million;
Eighty incumbents faced no primary or general
election opponent, yet they raised $6.2 million during the 1998 election
cycle (an average of $76,900);
In the 52 contested general elections in 1998,
winners outspent losers 2:1 ($9.9 million to $4.7 million).
The 1997-1998 fundraising data analyzed
in this report comes from information that candidates file with the Texas
Ethics Commission. Comparative 1995-1996 fundraising data comes from
the Texas Ethics Commission and "Mortgaged
House," published by Texans for Public Justice in 1998. Additional
election and candidate information came from the Secretary of State.
