With Republican help, Jeremy Sylestine has outraised José Garza since entering DA race

In the two months since he entered the Democratic primary race for Travis County district attorney, Jeremy Sylestine has outpaced incumbent José Garza in fundraising — though the challenger still lags in overall contributions.

Sylestine, a prosecutor turned defense attorney, entered the race on the day of the filing deadline. After a slow first month of fundraising — his campaign reported $25,000 in December — Sylestine brought in $256,000 in January. Some of his top donors have previously given to national and state-level Republican candidates.

In a deeply blue county, whoever wins the March 5 Democratic primary is likely to win the general election.

Garza, who announced he was seeking reelection last August but began fundraising before then, still leads in total campaign contributions. From January 2022 to the end of last month, Garza raised $365,000, according to his campaign.

Sylestine’s campaign, with $214,500, had more cash on hand than Garza’s campaign, with $158,000, as of Jan. 25.

Neither campaign noted any outside spending in January and February finance reports.

Sylestine's fundraising has also outpaced the amount Garza raised in March 2020, when he challenged then-District Attorney Margaret Moore. In January and February 2020, Garza reported $88,500 in contributions.

In the March 2020 primary, Garza earned 44% of the vote and Moore got 41%, triggering a runoff election. After the primary, Garza's fundraising increased exponentially. In the four months before the July runoff, Garza raised $548,000. After the March 2020 primary, the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC, funded in large part by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, began backing him.

Garza told the Austin Monitor in July 2020 that the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC had spent $409,000 in support of his campaign.

Jim Wick, an Austin-based political consultant, said that campaign finances can provide a look into the “breadth” and “depth” of support for each candidate. Breadth can be shown by the number of contributions, while depth can be shown by the dollar amount of each contribution, Wick said.

Sylestine’s campaign told the American-Statesman it has had 290 contributions, and Garza’s campaign said it has had 1,295.

Who contributed to Jeremy Sylestine's campaign?

With fewer contributions, Sylestine’s fundraising was largely made up of high-dollar donations. Some of those donors have a history of giving to Republican candidates.

Sylestine’s campaign brought in $40,000 (in two contributions) from billionaire Kind Bar founder Daniel Lubetzky, $40,000 from energy investor Bryan Sheffield and $20,000 from billionaire software entrepreneur Joseph Liemandt.

Lubetzky, a self-described moderate, has given to both President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Public records show that Sheffield has donated to a number of conservative candidates in Texas and to Texans for Greg Abbott, a PAC supporting the governor's reelection. Liemandt has also given to Texans for Greg Abbott.

Jonathan Coon, founder of 1-800 Contacts, and Gary Farmer, president of Heritage Title Co., both gave about $10,000.

Coon described himself as a centrist and said he has "mainly" supported Democratic candidates in Austin. Coon has given to Haley and both Democratic and Republican senatorial candidates around the county. Farmer, who "leans Republican" and has given to Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, said he has supported a number of local Democrats. Farmer told the Statesman that he was drawn to Sylestine's views on public safety.

In an interview with the Statesman, Sylestine acknowledged that he had some Republican donors but said that criminal justice, “if it’s done right,” should not be a political issue.

“I'm seeing a very broad coalition of support,” Sylestine said, “not just from within the Democratic Party … but (also) people who are just very invested in a safe Travis County.”

Sylestine also pointed out that, given the political makeup of Travis County, the Democratic primary election was the best opportunity for both Republican and independent voters to have a say in who becomes district attorney.

James Aldrete, a spokesperson for Garza's reelection campaign, characterized Sylestine's funders as "national Republicans" and the "right wing fringe." Sylestine defended his donors as "Travis County citizens and Texans who are concerned about Garza’s failure to keep the community safe."

Who contributed to José Garza's campaign?

Garza’s campaign brought in $25,000 from Liz Simons, a California philanthropist and educator who has supported a number of progressive candidates and causes. Simons' foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

Other large donations came from Austin-area lawyers and law firms. Austin defense lawyer Rick Cofer — who is a law partner of Sylestine's — gave $16,000. GHC Law Firm and Ben Michael, a defense lawyer, both gave about $15,000.

Garza’s campaign told the Statesman that 75% of its contributions were for $200 or less.

“District Attorney Jose Garza’s re-election campaign is fueled by a grassroots movement that includes people of color, working class people, young people, LGBTQIA+ people, women, and progressives,” Aldrete said in a statement.

Aldrete said the Garza campaign is "poised to finish strong."

Early voting in the primary will begin Tuesday. Candidates will file one more campaign finance report Feb. 26.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: A look inside the finances of the Travis County district attorney race