One of the most high profile races of the 2018 Primary Election was in Texas Senate District 2. State Senator Bob Hall, who has represented SD2 since 2014, was challenged by former State Representative Cindy Burkett, HD113. Burkett walked away from the seat she held in the House since 2010 to challenge Hall, quite the risk given how she’d moved up the ladder of power in Texas’ lower chamber. The gamble didn’t pay off, as Burkett lost to Hall.

Here’s a quick look at the numbers:

When she originally ran for the Texas House, Cindy Burkett campaigned as a conservative champion. She claimed to be someone who was willing to go to Austin and fight cronyism and corruption. Yet according to most Texas politicos, she turned her back on conservatives in hopes of securing better committee assignments and attaining more power. Hall likewise ran as an outsider, one willing to buck the status quo. Unlike Burkett, Hall has indeed been a thorn in the side of the bureaucracy in Austin. The contrast for the voters of SD2 was clear, and they clearly chose someone who for all intents and purposes actually did in office what they said they’d do on the campaign trail.

Key Takeaways from the SD2 race:

1. The PACs tell the story
   PACs, particularly those who donate the most money to Texas candidates and causes, tend to fall into political tribes, just like the candidates they support. PACs can be objectively labeled as Democrat, Liberal Republican, Moderate Republican, and Conservative Republican. The Burkett vs. Hall race provided a perfect example. According to Dr. Mark Jones’ independent ranking of Texas legislators, Burkett was one of the more liberal House members. Hall, on the other hand, ranked as one of the most conservative members of the Texas Senate. The big money PACs gave accordingly: Hall received strong support from conservative PACs Empower Texans ($335,552.00) and Texas Right to Life ($80,000), while Burkett pulled in big money from liberal Republican PACs Texas Association of Realtors ($141,824) and Texas Medical Association ($41,000). (In contrast, the Realtors PAC tossed Hall $5,000.) The Moderate Republican PACs split the difference – Texans for Lawsuit Reform supported Hall with $25,000. On the other hand, Associated Republicans of Texas, whose stated purpose is “maintaining the Republican majority in the Texas Legislature” came out swinging to unseat an existing Republican. ART donated a whopping $244,531.00 to help Burkett challenge Hall.
2. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick protected an ally.
   Lt. Gov. Patrick, who once called Hall “Texas’ most conservative senator” came strongly to Hall’s defense by donating nearly a quarter of a million dollars from his own campaign account to Hall’s. This not only helped Hall prevail against Burkett, but also sent a strong message to other Texas senators: It pays to be loyal to Dan Patrick.
3. Education policy played a big role.
   Hall campaigned as a supporter of school choice while Burkett remained opposed. Not surprisingly, those who advocate for increasing funding only to public schools supported Burkett – Charles Butt donated $45,000 and Texas Parent PAC chipped in $2,500. Hall received support from those advocating for more educational choices including Joel & Stacy Hock ($5,000) and Rex Gore ($7,000).

Before you go…

One of the most interesting donations in this race came from Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA). Although SD2 is not a particularly energy-rich part of the state, TXOGA got heavily involved. They made 67 primary candidate endorsements this season, and only one was against an incumbent — TXOGA endorsed Burkett and donated $5,000 to her campaign.

Our Race to Raise series takes a deeper look at the most high-profile races of the election cycle, focusing specifically on money raised by those seeking to serve in public office. Stay tuned for the next installment.