Campaign finance reports show Pat Curry out-raising Devvie Duke in HD 56 race

The two are seeking to replace longtime State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, who announced that he is ready to step down.

Curry, a Waco businessman, has raised $188,000 over the course of his campaign, according to Jan. 16 campaign finance reports. Duke, a former State Republican Executive Committee member from Waco, reported about $40,000 in donations in the same period, Sept. 21 to Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, Democratic House District 56 candidate Erin Shank has raised about $28,000 this period while spending about $50,000 on her campaign, with about half that sum coming from her own personal finances. She is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Duke, who touts endorsements from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Anderson, has relied more on small donations than her Republican opponent, the filings show.

Larger donations include $5,000 from Angela Granger, regent of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; $1,000 from attorney and former county GOP chairman Jon Ker; $250 from David Russell, a Woodway City Council member; $3,000 from Woodway resident Kathy Endres and $1,700 from Lorena resident Patricia Cummins.

During filing period, Duke reported spending $29,000, including $19,000 on advertisements. She loaned $10,000 to her campaign, the finance report shows.

Meanwhile, Curry, who has endorsements from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara, received donations from several prominent Waco-area business owners.

Contributions include $500 from construction firm owners Ed and Vicky Mazanec; $1,000 from George’s owner Kyle Citrano; $1,000 from developer and investor Todd Behringer; $1,000 from professional angler Alton Jones, $1,000 from former Hillcrest hospital CEO Glenn Robinson; and $2,600 from Honda dealer Greg May.

Curry also received $5,000 from Chris DeCluitt, current vice chair for the McLennan County GOP; $5,000 from Karen Keith, owner of Keith Ace Hardware; and $15,000 donation from William Guderian of Waco.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a political action committee, also donated $10,000 to Curry’s campaign.

Curry reported raising $188,000 total by the end of 2023 while spending about $97,000 on his campaign during that same period. He spent $25,000 on advertisements and he loaned his campaign $320,000, the report shows.

Shank, the lawyer who previously ran for House District 56 in 2022, reported raising about $28,000 and has spent about $50,500, with $26,000 coming from her own personal funds, the report shows. She also donated $15,000 to her campaign.

Shank’s campaign spent about $19,000 on advertising, with an additional $25,000 spent on consulting expenses, including polling, to APH Digital LLC, a marketing firm based in San Antonio.

In the race for McLennan County sheriff, challenger Jeff Aguirre raised more than three times as much as incumbent Sheriff Parnell McNamara. However, the three-term incumbent sheriff is sitting on a treasure chest from previous campaigns. 

Aguirre raised nearly $28,000 in the filing period ending Dec. 31, while McNamara reported only about $8,000 in the same period.

McNamara, the longtime lawman who has been sheriff of McLennan County for 12 years, has $226,000 remaining from previous campaigns, the report shows. By Dec. 31, McNamara’s campaign spent about $49,000, with about $24,000 of that spent on advertising.

McNamara’s campaign has also made many donations, with $6,000 donated to the Sheriff’s Association of Texas, $1,000 to the American Cancer Society, $1,850 to the Elm Mott Volunteer Fire Department and $1,200 to Jesus Said Love, a local nonprofit.

In terms of notable donors, McNamara has received $500 each from law partners Vance and Jim Dunnam. Jim Dunnam served as a Democratic state representative in from 1997 to 2011. Woodway City Council member David Russell also donated $250 to McNamara’s campaign.

Aguirre, a longtime police officer who currently is an investigator with the McLennan County District Attorney’s office, raised about $28,000 for his campaign from July 1 through Dec. 31 while spending about $32,000. Aguirre’s campaign also received $53,495 total in in-kind political contributions, with most of those being reported as advertising-related, including $32,000 for billboards.

Aguirre’s campaign spent about $11,600 on advertisements, with an additional nearly $44,000 of advertisements reported as in-kind political donations, according to the reports.

In the House District 13 race, incumbent Angelia Orr, R-Itasca, has raised about $83,000 with a large amount of support from Texas PACs, while her Democratic opponent Albert Hunter has yet to raise a dime and has spent only about $150 on his campaign as of Jan. 16.

Orr’s campaign also spent about $100,000 in that same period, with nearly $46,000 spent on advertising. An additional $6,000 in advertising was reported as in-kind donations.

Much of Orr’s donations came from political action committees and similar organizations. She received a $40,000 donation from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, $10,000 from the Charles Butt Public Education PAC, $1,000 from the Texas Professional Educators PAC, $1,500 from Oncor Texas State PAC, $1,000 from the Texas Dairymen PAC and $2,500 from the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma.

In contrast, Hunter, a retired educator from Bosque County, has not received any political donations and has only spent about $150 on his campaign, with $15 spent on a name badge and $125 spent on car magnets. Hunter also does not have a website, but said he is working to get a website up and running.