AUSTIN – One candidate’s top campaign donation came from his mom. His rival’s biggest backer is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.
It’s the race for a spot on the Texas Railroad Commission, and Republican nominee Bo French’s mother, Marsha French, who is retired and lives in Midland, gave him $100,000, almost a quarter of the $427,000 he raised since May 17.
Eagles co-founder Don Henley, of Hotel California fame, donated $25,000 to the Democratic nominee, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston. That was the largest contribution in Rosenthal’s overall tally of $167,000, which goes back to Jan. 1.
The fundraising edge also left French with a significantly larger campaign account heading into the fall election. He reported having about $223,000 cash on hand, compared with Rosenthal’s $64,000.
The semiannual reports are the first look at the financial matchup between French and Rosenthal since French, the former Tarrant County GOP chair, secured the GOP nomination in May when he defeated Jim Wright, the chair of the commission that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry. Rosenthal, a mechanical engineer, ran unopposed.
Rosenthal is seeking to pull off a rare Democratic statewide victory. Democrats have not won statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, and Rosenthal has previously said defeating French would require substantial fundraising.
Henley, who grew up in East Texas, has regularly donated to Democratic candidates in Texas and nationally.
French has earned the support of the state’s top Republican leaders – even though they previously campaigned against him. Rosenthal recently got the endorsement of a former GOP candidate Hawk Dunlap.