Silke Jasso
Since last Nov., Republican congressional candidate Kathaleen Wall gave her campaign more than $5.9 million, according to campaign finance reports.
Videos by Rare
The filings reveal Wall gave her campaign almost $3.2 million in the first week of 2018 alone – amounts higher than any Texas congressional candidate’s spending since 2000.
Wall is reportedly competing in a nine-candidate Republican primary in Texas’ 2nd Congressional District to replace retiring Congressman Ted Poe.
Some say the district’s boundaries resemble a snake, winding from Houston’s inner-Loop River Oaks and West University neighborhoods, through northwest Houston, up to Spring Cypress and around to Kingwood and Humble.
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According to previous reports, Wall and her husband Holloway “Holly” Frost parlayed their success as investors in high-tech startups into becoming major donors to Republican candidates:
Since 2010, the couple donated nearly $750,000 to a political action committee (PAC) supporting current Texas Governor Greg Abbott in his campaigns; Abbott endorsed Wall in the Republican primary scheduled for March 6.
And, now, Wall continues her pursuits making the hopeful move from donor to candidate.
Her campaign ads mention her support of the current Presidential Administration’s idea of building a wall along the Texas-Mexico border, as well as a controversial ad featuring her firing a rifle, featured below, which aired less than a day after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people, including 15 students, lost their lives.
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In addition to the bad timing of her ad, Wall’s described aggressive style and extravagant spending are reportedly drawing criticism from her Republican opponents:
“Spending millions of dollars to flood the airwaves and mailboxes of voters does not give an accurate picture of Kathaleen Wall’s capabilities to deliver the solutions and representation that is dearly needed for our region,” Houston State Legislator Kevin Roberts, who is running against Wall in the Republican primary, said in an interview.
Early voting began Feb. 20 and is underway ahead of the state’s March 6 primary.
