KAMEL

The two Republican candidates running for Smith County district attorney continue to be in a close race when it comes to fundraising.

Alicia Barkley raised $7,475 during the month of January, according to campaign finance filings with the Smith County government, while Jacob Putman raised $6,020 during that same time period.

Barkley and Putman both filed campaign finance reports on Feb. 5. Barkley’s report includes fundraising and expenditures from Jan. 1-Feb. 5, while Putman’s includes fundraising expenditures from Jan. 1-25.

Barkley, who entered the race PUTMAN in December, outspent Putman during the filing period — $24,491 to $9,786. But Putman, who has been campaigning for a year, retains a significant advantage in cash on hand — $21,694 to Barkley’s $1,799.

Barkley, 48, is a former assistant district attorney in Smith County who now runs a private family law practice. Putman, 35, has been an assistant district attorney in Smith County for the past nine years.

The two are running in a contentious campaign for the Republican nomination to be the next Smith County district attorney. The seat is up for grabs for the first time in 16 years because incumbent Matt Bingham has chosen not to run for reelection.

Endorsed by the influential Grassroots America — We The People Political Action Committee, Putman was on track to win the seat handily — running unopposed — until Barkley entered the race in mid-December.

After reporting fewer advertising expenditures than her opponent

in 2017, Barkley reported spending money in January on social media consulting ($3,000), Facebook advertising ($324) and a billboard ($1,600), among other things.

Putman had spent money on Facebook advertising and direct mailers in 2017, while Barkley had not. In January, he reported expenditures on Facebook advertising ($248) and a video advertisement ($1,299), among other things.

Putman continues to spend money on online fundraising through a company called Anedot, and continues to report buying tickets to events put on by major organizations, like Smith County Republican Women.

Barkley said she paid for the social media consulting to help set up a Facebook page and a website. A supporter facilitated her purchase of the billboard, she said.

“The billboard was largely donated by the family of a murder victim that I prosecuted the murder case on,” Barkley said. “I had to pay for a small portion of it, but the bulk of it was donated by a murder victim’s family.”

Barkley says she’s confident she can finish the race in a strong position come March 6.

“I can say I am genuinely overwhelmed by the amount of support that I have received, both financially and otherwise,” Barkley said. “I truly didn’t anticipate having as much support as I’ve had, so I’m so grateful for it.”

Putman said his team has been running a grass-roots campaign, focusing on getting out to different places and meeting as many voters as possible. He said many of the donations are coming during face-to-face meetings, including in people’s homes.

“This has been up to now a very grass-roots campaign, trying to meet the people where they are, trying to get to know the voters of Smith County,” Putman said. “I feel like a race for Smith County is getting hired for a job, and I’ve tried to meet as many voters as I can over the last year.”

Putman said his campaign has a plan for how to spend money heading into the March 6 primary. He said the money his campaign has is more than sufficient to get through that time period.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE — DISTRICT 6

In the District 6 state representative race, incumbent Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, raised $6,097 in January. The majority of Schaefer’s fundraising was not cash, but came from in-kind contributions.

He received $3,034 in the form of direct mailers from the Texas House Republican Caucus Political Action Committee and $2,800 in polling data from Empower Texans Political Action Committee, which aligns with candidates who support the Freedom Caucus and the tea party.

He spent $30,412 in January, leaving him with $71,902 in cash on hand. The biggest expenditures were $19,115 to Tidal Wave Marketing for direct mail and $4,745 to the Texas House Republican PAC for direct mailers.

He listed expenses for running his website, and overhead for running his campaign office. He also purchased Facebook advertisements ($250) and email services from MailChimp for the Texas Freedom Caucus ($75).

Schaefer’s primary opponent, former lawmaker Ted Kamel, reported no cash or in-kind contributions in January. He has received most of his money to date in the form of loans from himself. He reported $7,670 in spending in January, and he reported that same amount as a personal loan to his campaign.

Kamel spent most of the money in January on consulting and various types of advertising, according to his campaign finance report. The biggest expenses were $1,500 to T.B. Butler Publishing for local newspaper ads, and $1,307 on advertisements through Get Noticed Advertised.

Other major expenditures were $1,000 for office space, $800 for Facebook advertisements and $400 for advertising through Inspire Productions LLC in The Woodlands. He retains $1,350 in cash on hand.

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