Constable candidates report fundraising results

Often lost in the swirl of headlines spinning off of far more prominent elections and campaigns are the little-watched but wholly important races for the various precincts of Travis County’s constabulary. After Friday’s campaign-finance filing deadline, we now have a better idea of how those contests will shape up in the final weeks ahead of the March 1 primaries. Precinct 1 incumbent Danny Thomas reported raising $3,402 in his defense against two challengers seeking the Democratic nomination. Richard Schumacher drew in $5,485, while Janie Serna did not raise a dime. In Precinct 2, Constable Adan Ballesteros also reported zero contributions but has the luxury of not facing any opponents in the Democratic primary. Deke Pierce, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary, raised $9,265. With Precinct 3 Constable Sally Hernandez running for Travis County sheriff, there are two Democrats seeking to replace her. With $8,637 in campaign contributions since July, A.J. Johnson has the fundraising edge over Stacy Suits, who reported a haul of $2,184. In Precinct 4, George Morales lays claim to the largest chunk of donations with a reported $21,119. His opponent in the Democratic primary, Manuel Jimenez, took in only $7,963 but will keep things competitive thanks to a $26,000 loan. There are no Republicans in the Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 races.