Nov 9, 2022 - Politics

What you could buy with Harris County judge's race spending money

 Data: Campaign finance reports; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios
Data: Campaign finance reports; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios

This year's Harris County judge's race was expensive.

Driving the news: If you combined all the money Alexandra Mealer and Lina Hidalgo spent on the Harris County judge's race since July 1, you could buy 2.9 million $4 tacos.

Details: Since July 1, Mealer has raised $8.6 million and spent nearly $8.2 million, while Hidalgo has raised $2.4 million and spent nearly $3.6 million, according to the campaign finance reports on the Harris County Election Administration Office website.

Separately, the approximate $11.8 million could have been spent on either:

  • Buying about 34 single family homes (costing about $340,000).
  • Paying a year's worth of rent for 750 people (with rent at $1,300).
  • Awarding all HISD teachers a $1,000 bonus.

Zoom out: The Texas governor's race wasn't cheap either, with both Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke spending a total of $205 million — or 51 million tacos, making it the most expensive gubernatorial election in Texas history.

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