Eva Guzman broadcasts first announcements in Texas Attorney General race

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One of Attorney General’s main Republican challengers Ken Paxton is launching TV commercials earlier than usual in a bid to stand out in the already crowded and controversial race.

Radio and television ads featuring former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman as a “fearless conservative” with extensive legal background will begin airing statewide on Monday, her Texas campaign said. Tribune. Her campaign said she intends to spend seven figures on such ads by day one, currently set for March 1.

This is one of the first known TV commercials of its kind in a 2022 statewide competition. – and shows how active the race to overthrow Paxton has already become. In addition to Guzman, Paxton faces challenges from fellow Republican George P. Bush, who is currently commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, and Matt Krause, the Representative of the State of Fort Worth. Former President Donald Trump backed Paxton.

Limited public polls have shown Guzman is far behind Bush and Paxton. But she was financially competitive, and her campaign called the purchase of new media “important.”

“We know that Judge Guzman is the most qualified candidate for Texas attorney general and we look forward to carrying her message to every corner of the state,” Guzman consultant Justin Dudley said in a statement. .

It is still relatively early for television commercials in statewide campaigns. Earlier this month, one of Governor Greg Abbott’s main challengers, Don Huffines, ran an anti-Abbott ad during the Texas-Oklahoma college football game, claiming it was part of an “aggressive media buy-in. six-figure for fifteen markets across the state. “

Paxton has compiled a list of serious top challengers amid a slew of legal issues, including a securities fraud case that dates back to his first months in office in 2015. More recently he has been the subject of an FBI investigation into allegations by former senior officials that he abused his office to help a wealthy donor. He denied wrongdoing in both cases.

While all of Paxton’s main opponents have criticized him harshly, Guzman’s commercials do not mention the incumbent and remain mostly positive, discussing her biography. They also hint at what she sees as her biggest advantage in elementary school – her long resume as a lawyer and judge.

In her 30-second television commercial, Guzman says she has “the courtroom experience to fight the radical Biden administration agenda – and win.”

“Eva Guzman has the experience, integrity and the conservative principles that we need for the Texas Attorney General,” a narrator said in the one-minute radio spot.

There haven’t been many public polls on the primary. But a poll released last month by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler found that Guzman had the support of only 5% of likely voters. The poll was taken before Krause entered the race.

Still, Guzman was a solid fundraiser, raising $ 1 million in the first 10 days of his campaign. During the two most recent fundraising periods, July 7 to September 2, Guzman raised $ 221,000 compared to $ 112,000 for Paxton. Bush, meanwhile, brought in $ 311,000.

In their last filings with the Texas Ethics Commission, applicants were not required to disclose their total cash, which shows how much money they must spend on things like TV commercials.

On the Democratic side of the race there are at least two candidates: former mayor of Galveston Joe Jaworski and Lee Merritt, the nationally recognized civil rights lawyer from North Texas.

Disclosure: The Texas General Land Office has financially supported The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial support plays no role in the journalism of the Tribune. Find a full list of them here.