By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
Campaign finance filings for Texas House District 61 show differences in how much money was raised and how the campaigns were funded during the 2026 election cycle, with the Republican primary drawing higher totals and broader political action committee support.
The reports, filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, cover the weeks leading into the primary and show how candidates financed their campaigns.
Republican Primary: Large Totals and PAC Support
Incumbent Rep. Keresa Richardson reported $165,702.52 in political contributions in her 8-day report ahead of the primary.
Her campaign also reported $255,620.90 in expenditures during the same period, with spending on digital advertising, mailers, consulting, and voter outreach.
Much of Richardson’s late fundraising came from political action committees.
Her report includes:
- $100,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
- $25,000 from Texans for Truth & Liberty PAC
- $20,000 from Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC
- Additional contributions from PACs tied to real estate, healthcare, energy, and party organizations
The report also lists in-kind support, including services such as digital advertising and texting provided by outside groups.
Richardson’s filing further shows that her campaign repaid approximately $90,000 in loans to herself during the same reporting period.
Campaigns in Texas are permitted to repay candidate loans using funds raised during the election cycle, and those transactions are disclosed in the expenditure section of the report.
Her primary opponent, Frederick Frazier, reported significantly lower totals during the same period, leaving a gap in available campaign resources heading into the election.
Frazier reported an increase in fundraising late in the race, but the difference between the campaigns remained substantial through the final filings.
Richardson went on to win the Republican nomination.
Democratic Primary: Smaller Totals, Different Structure
On the Democratic side, filings show a different financial picture in both scale and structure.
Brittany Black reported approximately $25,185.63 in political contributions across recent reporting periods leading into the primary. Her filings show a large number of small-dollar donations, many in the $1 to $25 range, along with a smaller number of larger individual contributions earlier in the campaign.
Black said that approach is intentional.
“We’ve intentionally built this campaign around a base of small-dollar donors,” she said. “One that’s powered by people in the district, not outside interests.”
Those contributions came from donors both within Texas and outside the state, with a broader but lower-dollar donor base compared to the Republican side.
Her campaign also reported $45,000 in loans from BNR Ventures LLC, a company she owns, which she said was used to fund early campaign operations.
“BNR Ventures LLC is one of my companies, and I am the sole owner,” Black said. “I provided an initial loan to the campaign… to get things off the ground and ensure it was viable in the early stages.”
She said the loans are interest-free, carry no set repayment timeline, and are being repaid gradually as donations come in.
Black also addressed the difference in funding between campaigns.
“In contrast, my opponent has raised significantly more and is receiving substantial support from outside and corporate PACs,” she said. “We’ve made a deliberate choice to rely on community-driven funding.”
Black said those differences come down to how campaigns are built.
“If there’s one thing I’d want people to understand, it’s that how a campaign is funded often reflects how it will govern,” she said.
Black advanced to the general election.
Jacqueline Bescherer, who also ran in the Democratic primary, reported limited fundraising activity in comparison, with filings showing a smaller number of contributions and minimal overall spending.
Different Campaign Approaches
The filings show different ways candidates financed their campaigns.
Richardson’s campaign relied on large contributions from PACs and organized political groups, along with in-kind support and early candidate funding that was later repaid.
Black’s campaign relied on smaller individual donations and loans from a candidate-owned business, with repayment tied to incoming contributions.
Frazier’s campaign reflected a third approach, with a base of individual donors and several larger contributions, though at a lower overall scale than Richardson’s campaign.
What the Reports Show
HD-61 filings show a wide fundraising gap and two different ways of funding a campaign — one backed by PAC and large-donor support, the other built on smaller contributions and candidate-funded loans.
“I see this as more of a different model than a disadvantage,” Black said.
The race now moves to the general election between Richardson and Black.
Editor’s Note
TX3DNews has reached out to Rep. Keresa Richardson for comment on her campaign finance filings and will update this article if a response is received.