Attorney Mikal Watts (D), who already has pumped nearly $10 million of his own money into his bid to oust Sen. John Cornyn (R), announced this week that he raised an additional $1.1 million from outside sources during the second quarter of this year.

Watts, who has set aside $3.8 million for the primary and $6.2 million for the general election, first might have to get by state Rep. Rick Noriega (D), who is poised to launch an exploratory committee that would allow him to raise money for a possible Senate run.

Democrats in Washington D.C., are high on Watts, who is a major party donor, but Noriega has the support of grass-roots Democrats in Texas.

Cornyn’s second-quarter numbers were unavailable. But the first-term Republican banked a healthy $3.8 million at the close of the first quarter.
— David M. Drucker