The race to succeed District Attorney Ronnie Earle has turned into one of the priciest Travis County political contests in recent history. Candidate Mindy Montford is well ahead of her opponents on the fundraising front, collecting $239,674 between Jan. 25 and Feb. 23. The amount brings her total fundraising tab to $364,716. Former Gov. Dolph Briscoe gave Montford $75,000, in three separate $25,000 checks, during the last reporting period. A good bit of Montford’s money came from Capitol lobbyists, which included a $10,000 contribution from father and former state Sen. John Montford, the top lobbyists at AT&T. After expenditures of $207,862, Montford has $20,076 in cash on hand.
Opponent Rosemary Lehmberg raised the second-highest figure, pulling in $99,675. Her campaign spent $156,717 and had $36,479 remaining in the bank as of Feb. 23. During the same reporting period, Gary Cobb raised $41,563, and Rick Reed raised $6,620.
This article appears in February 22 • 2008.
