2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Carlos De La Cruz Jr.?
The money.
- Raised
- $1.7M
- Spent
- $1.7M
- Cash on hand
- $313K
- Debts
- $121K
- Individuals 72% $1.2M
- PACs & other committees 24% $416K
- Party committees 0.3% $5,000
- Candidate's own money & loans 3% $53K
- Other receipts <0.1% $105
Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026. Excludes $310K moved between the candidate's own committees.
Outside groups: $2.4M supporting · $52K opposing ($39K of it designated for the general election)
Biggest spenders supporting
- DEFENDING OUR VALUES PAC $1.5M
- DEFEND AMERICAN JOBS $616K
- STRONG PAC $243K
Biggest spenders opposing
- HMP $39K
- PROTECT AND SERVE PAC $12K
Largest direct PAC contributions
Who gave.
Who gives $1.2M from individuals
34% in small-dollar gifts
$418K of $1.2M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
Adding itemized gifts from donors whose itemized total is $200 or less, about 35%. Many small gifts sent through ActBlue or WinRed are itemized anyway, so the first figure runs low; this estimate groups donors by name and ZIP code as filed and counts only itemized gifts already in the FEC bulk file.
The itemized gifts below add up to $524K of the $819K the campaign reported itemizing through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026 for this campaign.
79% from Texas · 21% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
32% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- Texas $415K
- Alabama $11K
- Ohio $11K
- Virginia $11K
- Massachusetts $10K
- Florida $10K
- California $9,414
- Pennsylvania $5,206
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $330K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $193K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Sep 23, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, net of refunds (2,719 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
Outside spending including late reports: $4.4M for / $5.3M against · $2.4M in the final two weeks
That is $7.4M more than the $2.4M in regular reports alone. Source: FEC regular reports plus 24- and 48-hour reports they do not yet cover. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
$5.2M of the $9.8M on late reports was filed as an estimate. A 24- or 48-hour report is due within a day or two of the spending; the spender's later regular report carries the final cost.
What it bought, per the late reports
- TV, radio & streaming TV 61% $5.9M
- Digital ads 19% $1.9M
- Ads, medium not stated 5% $511K
- Mail, print & signs 13% $1.2M
- Phones & texts 0.8% $79K
- Ad production 2% $180K
Largest late spenders for
- NO GOING BACK PAC INC. $1.9M
- DEFENDING OUR VALUES PAC $1.5M
- DEFEND AMERICAN JOBS $616K
- STRONG PAC $243K
- AMERICA PAC $109K
Largest late spenders against
- HMP $4.7M
- YOUR COMMUNITY PAC $502K
- BOLD AMERICA $101K
- WAY TO LEAD PAC $26K
- PROTECT AND SERVE PAC $12K
Latest dissemination on these reports: October 31, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (107 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗
Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Where it went.
Where the money went $775K in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $775K of the $1.7M the campaign reported spending through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 52% $401K
- Consultants & strategy 5% $41K
- Staff & payroll 11% $82K
- Fundraising & processing fees 21% $162K
- Polling, research & data 8% $65K
- Travel, meals & events 0.4% $3,285
- Office, technology & overhead 0.5% $3,559
- Legal & compliance 2% $19K
Largest payees
- FLEX POINT CAMPAIGNS $213K
- TARGETED VICTORY LLC $140K
- AMERICAN MADE MEDIA CONSULTANTS LLC $70K
- GUIDANT POLLING & STRATEGY, LLC $56K
- POOLHOUSE AGENCY LLC $40K
Paid to individuals: $83K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Oct 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (166 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- Johnny GarciaDemocrat · $2.2M raised · $2.8M outside
- John LujanRepublican · $758K raised · $280K outside
- Jay Commander FurmanRepublican · $438K raised
- Joshua CortezRepublican · $265K raised
- Ryan P KrauseRepublican · $238K raised
- John LiraDemocrat · $145K raised
- Whitney Masterson-MoyesDemocrat · $63K raised
- Maureen GalindoDemocrat · $40K raised · $1.6M outside
- Steven William WrightRepublican · $25K raised
- Randal Haskel AdamsRepublican · $24K raised
- Vanessa F. Hicks-CallawayRepublican · $6,394 raised
- Christopher Thomas SchuchardtRepublican · $0 raised
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.