Naishtat: Think of the kick-ass victory party he could throw.

Rep. Elliot Naishtat, D-Austin, can take up a hobby: His only Republican challenger, defense consultant James Hasik, has officially dropped out, leaving Naishtat with some spare time before the next lege session. But Hasik’s campaign finally officially giving up the ghost isn’t really that surprising. These numbers from both campaigns’ last finance reports, filed with the Texas Ethics Commission on July 15:

Total Political Contributions
Naishtat: $ 2,125.00

Hasik: $0

Total Expenditures
Naishtat: $ 25,449.68

Hasik: $8

Cash on Hand
Naishtat: $ 218,408.68

Hasik: $0

FYI, the $8 was for website registration with GoDaddy, the internet firm with the famous (aHEM) SuperBowl ads.

This article appears in August 22 • 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.