As Johnson campaign surpasses $1 million in fundraising this year – what have been the most expensive mayoral campaigns?
Editor's note: a previous version of this story included an incorrect calculation of the amount of spending by or on behalf of the Johnson campaign. The corrected figure has been updated in the story below.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- With just over a week until runoff election day, spending and fundraising continue to break the bank in this year's mayoral election for the City of El Paso.
According to the most recent campaign finance reports required by 8 days out from the election, El Paso businessman Renard Johnson has officially broken the 7-figure mark, with $1,081,552.62 in fundraising in 2024.
For comparison, there have been recent mayoral elections that saw barely half as much money with all donations or spending of all campaigns combined, such as in 2017. Mayoral campaigns are usually the priciest in the City of El Paso, both in terms of fundraising and spending, according to available campaign finance reports.
Combined spending by Johnson's campaign and in-kind donations, or money spent on his campaign's behalf, is $1,097,264.24 so far this year.
The last mayoral election's big money campaign was that of then-incumbent Dee Margo, pulling in $406,886.48 from donors and spending $569,107.81 plus another $25,070.48 spent by donors by the end of the runoff. Margo had come into the election with a six-figure war chest, including those funds left from his previous campaign.
And he topped the fundraising scales during his first successful campaign for mayor in 2017, the next most recent mayoral election for which records are readily available. That year, Margo drew in $303,547.04 in total, spending $270,521.71 from his campaign and by donors.
Not all campaigns in this year's runoff in the city of El Paso have filed their 8-day reports as of the end of the day Friday. As they come in, ABC-7 will update the totals on-air and online ahead of election day next Saturday.
