A high-profile attorney has thrown hundreds of thousands of dollars into Corpus Christi’s mayoral runoff election, backing the bid of the challenger for the seat.
In all, Thomas J. Henry — known statewide as a personal injury lawyer — paid a total of about $230,000 through in-kind contributions to Michael Hunter’s campaign, according to city records.
That kind of funding is significant “to spend on a runoff which may get at most 30,000 to 40,000 votes,” said Paul Gottemoller, a political science professor at Del Mar College.
Candidates are required to file documents, known as campaign finance reports, showing how much and from whom money is accepted as political contributions and how monetary political contributions are spent.
Attorney Thomas J. Henry speaks during a press conference on Tuesday at his Corpus Christi home, which is under construction, about the in-kind contributions of $230,000 he made to the campaign for mayoral candidate Michael Hunter.
The records also show in-kind contributions — those that are not direct monetary contributions, but described in the state’s election code as “a contribution of goods, services, or any other thing of value that is not money.”
In his report covering the period from Oct. 27 through Friday, Hunter listed accepting about $16,000 in monetary political contributions and spending about $33,000.
Henry’s roughly $230,000 in-kind contributions — which campaign finance reports record in a separate category from monetary contributions — are shown as having been distributed over a wide span of advertising efforts, to include about $142,000 in television advertising and $25,000 in digital advertising.
Tuesday, Henry held a press conference to address questions about the in-kind contributions.
In it, Henry said he wanted to see “a big, positive change in Corpus Christi” that would lead to the city’s growth.
“Our support and our caring for people in the city of Corpus Christi — that’s the No. 1 reason I got involved in this race, is because I’m sick of seeing Corpus Christi be at the back of the line when every other (Texas) city is doing well,” he said. “Michael Hunter has made a commitment to me to try and change that as much as he possibly can.”
Expenditures from monetary contributions include an additional $12,000 in TV and radio advertising, Hunter’s campaign finance report shows.
As of Friday, he maintained in his campaign coffers about $22,000, according to the documents.
Incumbent Mayor Paulette Guajardo’s campaign finance report, meanwhile, showed acceptance of about $22,000 in monetary political contributions and about $164,000 in total spending between Oct. 28 and Friday.
Expenditures included about a cumulative $49,000 on television advertising; $15,000 on digital advertising; and about $4,400 in radio advertising, according to the documents.
Her largest contributor listed during the report period was the Corpus Christi Professional Firefighters Association — which has publicly endorsed Guajardo in her bid for mayor — at about $7,500, the report shows.
In a video posted on Facebook, in which firefighters association President Johnny Stobbs appeared with Corpus Christi Police Association President Scott Leeton, Stobbs urged residents to “vote for the candidate our first responders support.”
Stobbs on Wednesday declined to elaborate on the endorsement.
About $71,000 was shown as remaining in Guajardo’s campaign coffers as of Friday, according to her campaign finance report.
What is reported in Guajardo’s finances is “what I would expect from an incumbent mayor running for reelection … with a lot of donations that range from a few hundred to the couple thousands,” Gottemoller said.
That’s because incumbents “are the ones that are in power, and that incumbent always has the advantage on that,” he added.
“Up until just recently she had a clear advantage on advertising and money to spend on the campaign,” Gottemoller said.
More: How political parties play a role in nonpartisan City Council elections
More: Who will be mayor of Corpus Christi? Early voting in runoff begins Monday.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Thomas J. Henry pumps hundreds of thousands into Hunter mayoral bid