AUSTIN – Today, RPT Chairman Steve Munisteri is happy to announce a significant fundraising milestone. With the recent announcement of the creation of the Texas House GOP Debt Busters and their pledge to raise $350K, this has brought the total number of pledges or cash received from fundraisers and individual solicitations past the $1 million mark, since he took office on June 12, 2010.

Since that date, the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) has received over half a million dollars in pledges from individual solicitations of which $351,875 has been collected. An additional $95,000 was raised at a Houston fundraiser at the home of Ned Holmes on August 24th, $65,000 more was raised at the Dallas fundraiser with Senator Hutchison on September 8th, and the previously mentioned $350,000 from the Debt Busters bring the fundraising total to approximately $1,003,000.

In response to reaching this milestone, Chairman Munisteri stated, “This support is truly exciting. The response of the Party’s grassroots, our elected officials, SREC members and major contributors has been invigorating to both me and the RPT. Special thanks has to be given to elected officials who have stepped up, such as Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Comptroller Susan Combs, Attorney General Greg Abbott, U.S. Cong. Ron Paul, Land Comm. Jerry Patterson, Ag Comm. Todd Staples, Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Victor Carrillo, House Speaker Joe Straus, State Sen. Dan Patrick and Florence Shapiro, U.S. Cong. Kevin Brady, and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. I also thank individuals who have pledged at the amount of $25,000 or more to join the RPT Chairman’s Circle: Neal Adams, Pat Fallon, Lynn Lasher, Dick Saulsbury, Clayton Williams, Ross Davis, and Jack Dillard. Further help has come from past party officials, Chairmen George Strake and Tom Pauken, former RNC Committeewoman Penny Butler, current RPT treasurer Paul Bettencourt, and former State Representatives Brad Wright and Martha Wong.”

Munisteri continued – “We also need to give a special thanks to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for her recent Dallas event (more details in future release), and also State Senators Dan Patrick, Joan Huffman, Tommy Williams, and Mike Jackson along with State Rep. Beverly Woolley, for sponsoring the Houston event along with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. Thanks go out to the leadership of Senatorial District 24, which raised an amazing $13,000, the Republican County Chairman’s Association and their Chairman Linda Rogers who contributed $5,000, Denton County Chairman Dianne Edmondson, who organized fundraisers which raised $30,000, and dozens of other Republican contributors.”

“It’s important to state what this support means to our Party,” said Munisteri. “The RPT’s total fundraising goal for the year, is $1,400,000 (funds outside of direct mail and telemarketing), so we are roughly two-thirds of the way to our target. Having been able to raise or have pledged so much money, so quickly, now allows us to focus on the party’s real work of winning campaigns this November. We are organizing volunteers for the Texas Trailblazers and the Texas Young Guns programs, assisting the Victory committee, and providing staff help to assist some of our legislative and congressional candidates.”

Munisteri concluded “On behalf of the RPT, I personally wish to thank all our supporters whose help made this announcement possible. And although we will be having a special announcement regarding the Texas Debt Busters committee later this week, I would be remiss if I didn’t put out a special thanks to Rep. Jim Keffer, who has worked tirelessly to assist the party in putting together the House Committee to retire the debt. What was so particularly gratifying is Rep. Keffer sought no personal benefit or placed any strings attached or conditions for his help. Rather, when the current plans for the Party were laid out to him, along with the current financial difficulties – he immediately swung into action and has been spending countless hours these last six weeks working with me and our staff to launch the program which we will officially announce at a press conference on Friday.”