Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (Eric Gay/Associated Press)
While Davis has large donors, the surge of big checks in the last week stands in contrast to a campaign that has raised close to $35 million mostly from tens of thousands of small contributions under $100.
The big contributors are all women and earlier contributors, including plaintiff’s lawyer and long-time Democratic supporter Amber Mostyn, who gave $367,000; Houston investor Lillie Robertson, $155,000; Dallas arts patron Marguerite Hoffman, $90,000, and medical consultant Laure Woods, $40,000.
Also a late giver is billionaire William Louis-Dreyfus, father of the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. He gave a check for $5,000.
Campaign spokesman Zac Petkanas said the money will go for anticipated expenses and advertising buys.
Republican Greg Abbott’s campaign, which in the course of the campaign has received dozens of checks in excess of $50,000, in the last week of the campaign has thus far reported only one large contribution – $40,000 from Dallas textile manufacturer Arun Agarwal.
In all, as my colleague Wayne Slater reports here , spending by the two contenders in the governor’s race could reach $90 million.