Texas House District 92 includes Bedford, Euless, Hurst, and portions of other communities in Tarrant County.

The Candidates

In House District 92, Republican Jeff Cason and Democrat Jeff Whitfield are facing off in hopes of replacing retiring Republican State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford). Stickland held the Dallas-Fort Worth area seat for Republicans for three terms beginning with the 2012 election, securing his last victory in 2018 by 2.4 points before retiring after the 85th Texas Legislative Session. Republicans are hoping to once again claim victory in this competitive district.

Cason, a former Bedford City Councilman, earned his spot in the general election this year after outpacing Jim Griffin and Taylor Gillig in the Republican primary, claiming 54 percent of the vote. In that race, Cason had the backing of Texas Right to Life, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and a number of other conservative organizations. According to his website, Cason’s top issues for the 2020 election include education, opposing efforts to defund police, addressing COVID-19, property taxes, mental health, the Second Amendment, and abortion.

Whitfield, an attorney and U.S. Air Force veteran, won the Democratic nomination for the seat in March, defeating the 2018 Democrat nominee for House District 92, Steve Riddell, with 56 percent of the vote. According to Whitfield’s campaign website, his top priorities for the 2020 election cycle include healthcare access, education, and economic growth. 

Here is a closer look at the money in the House District 92 race this year:

Texas House District 92, By the Numbers

	Jeff Cason (R)	Jeff Whitfield (D)
Totals
Total Money Raised	$591,582	$692,777
Total Number of Donations	514	3,489
Average Donation Amount	$1,150.94	$198.56
In-District
Total Money Raised In-District	$48,956	$40,628
Total Number of Donations From In-District	282	258
Percentage Raised From In-District	8%	6%
Out-Of-District
Total Money Raised Outside District	$542,626	$652,149
Total Number of Donations Raised Outside District	232	3,231
Percentage Raised From Outside District	92%	94%
Expenditures
Total Expenditures	$543,106	$373,516
Cash-On-Hand
Cash-On-Hand	$1,305	$236,445

What the Money Means

1. Whitfield’s Modest Fundraising Lead

In the broadest view of the numbers, Whitfield holds a moderate advantage, outraising Cason overall by $101,195. Whitfield also leads in total donations by nearly 7-to-1, while Cason’s donors give, on average, almost 83 percent more. But totals rarely tell the whole story. Across most of the usual metrics of comparison, the campaign finance stats in the Texas House District 92 race are remarkably even. For a clearer look at the race to raise, we need to go a bit deeper. 

2. An Out-of-District Race

For both candidates, the overwhelming majority of financial support is coming from outside of their district. Cason pulled in $542,626 from outside House District 92, accounting for 92 percent of his total funding. Similarly, Whitfield received 94 percent of his contributions from outside of the district at $652,149. The sources of that funding are notably different, however. Where Cason raised his outside donations from 232 donors, Whitfield’s smaller individual contributions came from over 3231 different donors. While donor numbers are a helpful indicator of a candidate’s breadth of support, rather than the depth of their supporters’ pockets, none of these outside donors are eligible to vote in this race. For that, we turn to in-district numbers.

3. In-District Numbers are Neck-and-Neck

Inside the district, Whitfield’s lead in donor numbers dissolves, with just 258 donations. In this category, Cason technically holds the lead at 282 donors. With the lopsidedness of donor support outside the district, it is perhaps a bit surprising to see just how evenly matched the two candidates are in this metric. The total amount raised in-district is also comparable — Cason brought in $48,956 from House District 92 constituents and Whitfield, $40,628. In the final few weeks leading up to the general election, it’s difficult to predict a victor based on financial support from the metroplex area.

4. Cason’s Big Spending & Whitfield’s Cash-on-Hand Edge

Cason has significantly outspent Whitfield in the race for House District 92, spending $543,106 on his campaign thus far. Meanwhile, Whitfield has spent $373,516 on his campaign. The spending difference between the two campaigns has contributed to the large divide between the candidates’ cash-on-hand totals, where Whitfield currently reports retaining $236,445 with a month to go before election day. Meanwhile, Cason’s campaign reports having $1,305 on-hand. With a race this financially even, Whitfield’s remaining balance could offer an advantage in the final push leading up to the election.

Explore In-Depth

There’s more to see in this election. Whitfield’s list of top ten donors includes seven PACs, most of which are dedicated to trying to flip the Texas House to Democratic control. Cason’s list of top ten donors consists primarily of individual conservative donors. Use our House District 92 Race tool as a starting point to compare donor, PAC, loan and expenditure information in even greater detail for all candidates, including the Green Party’s Brody-Andrew Mulligan, who is also on the ballot in November. 

Before November 3, we’ll get one more update on the numbers in Texas politics. To see the pre-election status of this race — as well as every other state-level race in Texas — once those numbers are live, subscribe to our email list. Prefer social? Join us on Facebook or Twitter to see that campaign finance release right in your feed.