HOUSTON – With the runoff election only a week away, political contributors are placing their final bets in key races throughout the state, which includes a last minute push by Texans for Lawsuit Reform in the race for Texas House District 26.
HD 26 candidate Matt Morgan nearly defeated fellow Republican Jacey Jetton in the March 3 primary, capturing 49.7 percent of the total vote.
Leading up to the primary, Morgan, a public adjuster, had the financial backing of several notable storm attorneys, a list that includes Benjamin Crowell, Chad Wilson, Eric Dick and Jesse Corona.
However, despite trial lawyer support, Morgan’s war chest still paled in comparison to Jetton’s – a financial gap that has considerably depended the last few months.
From July to December, Morgan raised around $19,000 – most of which was supplied by the aforementioned attorneys. In the months leading up to the primary, he raised more than $14,500.
Going into the runoff, Morgan managed to haul in approximately $25,700 in contributions. Campaign finance reports also show Morgan has an outstanding loan balance of $29,615.
Jetton’s contributions totally eclipse Morgan’s.
In 2019, Jetton raised more than $52,000. In the first three weeks of January, he raised $27,140. From Jan. 24 through Feb. 24, Jetton netted more than $88,000 in contributions.
Leading up to the primary, TLR dumped $25,000 into Jetton’s campaign, records show.
From Feb. 23 to July 4, Jetton raised nearly $240,000 in contributions – a large chunk of which ($30,000) was supplied by TLR.
Campaign finance records also show that TLR made two in-kind political contributions – a $30,271.72 contribution for campaign direct mail and a $57,784 contribution for political advertising.
Both in-kind contributions were made in June.
TLR was a driving force behind the passage of House Bill 1774 – a piece of legislation that sought to curb suspected storm lawsuit abuse.