Gina Ortiz Jones raises massive $1 million haul in third quarter

Gina Ortiz Jones, the leading Democratic candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, raised over $1 million in the third quarter, her campaign announced Tuesday morning.

The figure represents a massive haul that her campaign described as the "largest off-year quarterly fundraising total the district has ever seen."

"I’m honored by the groundswell of support we’ve received and together we’re building a grassroots campaign to stand up to the corporate special interests and bring commonsense priorities like quality, affordable health care and lower prescription drug costs to Washington, D.C.," Jones said in a statement.

Jones' campaign expects to report having about $1.4 million cash on hand — a hefty stockpile for a race that is at the top of national Democrats' priority list this cycle in Texas.

Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, is running for the seat being vacated by Hurd, who is retiring, after losing to him last year by a razor-thin margin. She is the frontrunner in a primary that includes a few other, lesser-known candidates.

Jones was one of the highest-raising Democratic congressional candidates in the country during the second quarter, and her campaign said she raked in over $100,000 in the 24 hours following Hurd's early August announcement that he would not seek reelection.

In an interview at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Thursday, Hurd said he is considering a presidential run in 2024.

The GOP primary for the seat is still forming, but it includes national Republicans like Tony Gonzales, a retired Navy cryptologist from San Antonio. He entered the race a few days after Hurd's announcement and raised over $100,000 in his first month, according to his campaign.

The candidates are not required to report their third-quarter fundraising to the Federal Election Commission until Oct. 15.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is working to flip six seats next year in Texas — and party leaders are already counting on Jones to put Hurd's 23rd District in their column. In separate appearances Saturday at the Tribune Festival, DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos predicted Democrats will pick up the seat, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she has "no doubt Gina Ortiz Jones will win that seat."