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STAFF REPORT

With seven weeks left to convince Central Texas Republicans to ditch State Sen. Donna Campbell, the freshman lawmaker’s two primary challengers reported last week that they collectively raised or loaned their campaigns more than $460,000 during the last quarter of 2013.

In campaign finance filings due Jan. 15, Friends of Donna Campbell, one of the incumbent’s two active campaign funds, reported collecting $192,823 in contributions from 309 donors between July 1 and Dec. 31. Friends of Donna Campbell ended the year with $289,982 in the bank, prompting the Austin American-Statesman to declare her the winner in a critical leg of the fundraising race.

That figure, however, does not include $90,000 in campaign debt Campbell holds under the name of a second campaign fund, listed as “Donna Campbell MD” in Texas Ethics Commission records.

Minus her $90,000 in campaign debt, Campbell actually ended the year with less cash on-hand than former San Antonio City Council member Elisa Chan, who raised $83,800 from 98 donors and lent her campaign $200,000 more. Chan reported $202,630 in the bank as of Dec. 31.

San Antonio businessman Mike Novak raised $176,356 from 204 donors and borrowed $5,000. With expenditures of $170,807 — including a major direct mail outreach to likely Republican voters in October — the former Bexar County commissioner started the year with $12,583 cash on-hand.

Campbell’s top donors of the cycle include medical equipment manufacturer and San Antonio Spurs co-owner James Leininger and Houston attorney Robert Seal, each of whom put in $10,000.

Campbell also fared well with donors connected to McAllen-based L&F Distributors; she accepted $5,000 each from Steve LaMantia of Laredo, an owner of the Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship, and Val Peisen of McAllen, the company’s president. The LaMantia family owns the 5,000-acre former O’Quinn River Ranch between San Marcos and Wimberley.

During the 2013 legislative session, Campbell’s efforts to establish a municipal utility district on 4,055 acres of the property were met with gales of opposition from her constituents. Conservatives took issue with creation of a new quasi-government with the power to levy taxes; conservationists feared the utility district will made development of the property inevitable.

Retired Canyon Lake restauranteur Daniel Boone, the lone Democrat in the SD-25 race, reported $375 in contributions and $3,250 in un-itemized loans. He had $1,170 on-hand as of Dec. 31.

Anchored in northwestern Bexar County where about half its population resides, Senate District 25 also includes all of Comal and Kendall and parts of Hays, Guadalupe and Travis counties. In Hays County, SD-25 includes about half of San Marcos, nearly 70 percent of Kyle and all of Wimberley, Dripping Springs and Buda.

Donna Campbell

Mike Novak

Elisa Chan

For MercuryPro members only

Search or browse a complete database of donors for Campbell, Novak and Chan from their Jan. 15 Texas Ethics Commission filings + download data in multiple formats.
Join MercuryPro today. Click here.

COVER: Elisa Chan campaigns for San Antonio City Council in 2009, the first of her three successful bids to represent single-member District 9. PHOTO by TAYLOR STAKES