Texas governor has record $43M for likely cakewalk race

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raised $9-plus million through the end of last year and now has a record war chest of $43.3 million to fund a November re-election bid that’s not expected to be competitive.

Abbott’s campaign announced Thursday that its cash on hand totals now exceed any statewide candidate in Texas history, around double what Abbott had when launching his first gubernatorial run in 2013.

The Democrats spent months searching for a viable gubernatorial candidate and their primary now features former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Andrew White, son of former Texas Gov. Mark White.

But both are considered longshots against Abbott, who handily defeated high-profile Democrat Wendy Davis by 20 points in 2014. A Democrat hasn’t won statewide office in Texas since 1994.