A Wide Funding Gap Shapes the HD-89 Race in Collin County

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

In the Texas House District 89 race in Collin County, the two campaigns are operating at completely different scales—and the latest filings put numbers behind that divide.

For context, Texas House races in fast-growing suburban areas like Collin County often involve significant spending on advertising, voter outreach, and data operations, making differences in campaign resources a key factor in how campaigns operate.

Republican incumbent Candace Noble reported raising $592,262.50 during the most recent reporting period, with $147,989.59 in cash on hand and $175,670.99 in expenditures.

Her opponent, Democrat Angie Carraway, reported $2,470.00 in total contributions, $516.85 in expenditures, and $1,873.40 remaining on hand.

How Noble’s campaign is funded

Noble’s filing includes several larger direct contributions, including $25,000 from the campaign of State Rep. Dustin Burrows, $7,500 from the James Frank Campaign Fund, and $5,000 from the Texas House Republican Caucus PAC.

The report also includes contributions from Charter Schools Now PAC, which gave $5,000 and an additional $1,000 during the reporting period.

Beyond direct donations, the filing shows extensive in-kind support tied to campaign operations. Multiple entries from Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC cover advertising and polling, with several individual entries exceeding $90,000 and repeated contributions across the reporting period.

Additional in-kind support includes tens of thousands of dollars from Texas Conservative Majority PAC for canvassing, data modeling, and direct mail.

A review of the filing shows that most of the campaign’s largest contributions come from political action committees and donors based outside Collin County, with relatively few individual contributions from within the district.

TX3DNews contacted Noble’s campaign with questions about fundraising sources, spending, and campaign strategy. No response was received as of publication.

Carraway campaign finances and response

Carraway’s campaign reported $2,470.00 in total political contributions, including a $750 contribution from Blue Horizon Texas PAC, with the remainder largely made up of smaller individual donations.

The contributions include a mix of local donors from Collin County, others from across Texas, and several out-of-state contributors.

Her campaign pointed to primary turnout as a measure of viability.

“Our campaign spent four cents per vote in the primary and turned out more voters than my opponent got from her own party,” Carraway said in a written response. “It’s not a fundraising story. It’s a trust story.”

She also contrasted the sources of campaign support.

“My campaign is funded by neighbors, teachers, and retirees,” she said, describing her campaign as primarily supported by individual donors.

How each campaign is spending money

Noble’s filing includes expenditures for consulting, digital outreach, and voter contact, along with payments tied to campaign operations and media.

Carraway’s report shows more limited spending, including printed materials, small digital ads, and basic campaign equipment.

Carraway described her campaign’s approach as focused on direct voter contact rather than paid media.

“Doors and conversations. That’s the strategy. A direct conversation with a neighbor is something no mail program can replicate, and it is something every voter in HD-89 deserves,” she said. “We’re not running a media campaign. We’re running a community campaign.”

Carraway’s approach on the ground

Angie Carraway said her campaign is focused on direct voter contact and local presence rather than paid outreach.

“Voters expect to know their representative and to actually see her in the community,” she said. “Being active in every corner of HD-89 isn’t strategy. It’s the job.”

She said her efforts are concentrated in Collin County, where the district is based.

“This race will be decided in Collin County, and that is where I will be,” she said.

Carraway also pointed to voter turnout as the campaign’s measure of success.

“Viability is measured in votes,” she said. “The primary gave us 13,904 of them, at four cents each.”

Two ways of running a campaign

The filings point to two different ways of running a campaign in the HD-89 race.

Candace Noble’s campaign is built around fundraising, PAC contributions, and in-kind support tied to advertising, polling, and organized outreach.

Carraway’s campaign operates on a smaller scale, relying primarily on individual contributions and direct voter engagement.

“My opponent’s largest contributor, by an enormous margin, is a single tort reform PAC in Houston,” she said. “Voters can decide what that means.”

“Money buys reach, but it doesn’t buy trust, and it isn’t a substitute for the work needed to represent HD-89,” Carraway said.

The filings show how those differences translate into how each campaign is structured and how each reaches voters across the district.

Editor’s note
TX3DNews contacted both campaigns for comment. Carraway’s campaign provided a response included in this article. No response was received from Noble’s campaign as of publication; updates will be added if provided. Campaign finance reports reflect activity within specific reporting periods and may not capture all activity across the full election cycle.