HOUSTON – Twelve candidates are battling it out to be the next mayor of the city of Houston. Sitting Mayor Sylvester Turner, Tony Buzbee, Bill King and Dwight Boykins are the top four contenders in the contentious race to lead the country’s fourth largest-city.
Having the most money is no guarantee. A candidate’s message will resonate with voters but the amount raised definitely matters, according to Rice University Political Science Professor Mark Jones.
WHAT DO THE CANDIDATES FINANCES LOOK LIKE?
Tony Buzbee- As of the Oct. 7 filing deadline, Buzbee’s self-funded campaign is the largest. He put another $2.5 million into his coffers last month, has spent $3.4 million and has contributed $10 million to his war chest.
Sylvester Turner- Turner has raised more than $733,000, according to his latest filing. He has spent more than $2.2 million and has more than $1.6 million cash on hand.
Bill King- Businessman and attorney Bill King recently crossed the $1 million mark in donations, raising close to $282,000 in this latest reporting period from 1,600 individual donors.
Dwight Boykins- Current Houston City Councilman Dwight Boykins, who announced his candidacy this summer, has raised over $130,000, spent just under $142,000, leaving him with just over $58,000 in cash on hand for this latest reporting period.
WHAT ARE THE CANDIDATES SAYING?
Tony Buzbee : “The mayor says city hall is for sale, I say the mayor sold city hall and I'm going to get it back and give it back to the people.”
Sylvester Turner : Had no comment nor did anyone from his campaign.
Bill King- “You've got to raise a certain amount of money to be credible I think. I think we're at that threshold and after that, I think it's up to the voters to decide. “
Dwight Boykins: “Well, I'm not a millionaire and I'm not putting millions of dollars into the race but I can assure you this, being a public servant for the years I've been, I realize that money doesn't win races.”
Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 21. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
For a closer look at the latest campaign finance filings, click on the link here.