Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) is on the rise in Texas and nationally as the second-term firebrand congressman and former White House doctor to two presidents is on a fundraising tear this year, and the surge he’s seen in small-dollar donors has some wondering if he’s ready for a statewide run soon.
Jackson, in the second quarter, raised north of a million dollars—more than any other GOP U.S. House member in Texas—and for the whole first half of 2023 the Texas conservative was the number one online fundraiser of any House GOP member not in leadership.
At an average donation of $14.86, with 86,313 small dollar unitemized contributions in the first six months of 2023 Jackson raised $1,282,538. That amount of donations—not the dollar amount, the number of donations—is higher than many presidential campaigns, like those of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, or Miami mayor Francis Suarez saw.
Top Recipients of Contributions via WinRed 1/1 – 6/30:
$45.9M Trump JFC
$16.2M NRSC
$8.5M RNC
$7.6M NRCC
$5.5M Kevin McCarthy
$5.3M Tim Scott
$4.0M Steve Scalise
$3.4M Protect the House
$2.6M Vivek Ramaswamy
$2.4M Nikki Haley pic.twitter.com/GiYKSAUF5S— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) August 1, 2023
While Jackson is not running for president, he even more than doubled the total number of donors—40,000—required to make the first debate stage at the Republican National Committee (RNC) debate next week.
He is also the only Texas House member, Republican or Democrat, to surpass $1 million in the second quarter—and even out-raised in overall fundraising incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) by several hundred thousand dollars. Cornyn, who is not up for reelection until 2026 and is widely considered, alongside Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and John Barrasso (R-WY), to be a candidate to replace Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) when the day comes, only pulled in just north of $376,000 in the second quarter of this year.
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 22: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks during U.S. Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on February 22, 2021 in Washington, DC. Garland was previously the Chief Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and former President Barack Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court. (Photo by Demetrius Freeman-Pool/Getty Images)
“Whether it’s with the people of Texas or folks online from all over the country, we’re just talking about the things people actually care about,” Jackson told Breitbart News when asked about these numbers. “They’re fed up with the corrupt Biden regime, the weaponization of government against the enemies of the left, and the attempts to insert the government into every aspect of our lives. We’re fighting against all that and I think that resonates with people.”
Jackson rose to prominence politically when he won his first election in 2020 after serving for many years as the chief physician in the White House. Jackson was the doctor for both President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and President Donald Trump, a Republican. He frequently gets national attention calling out current President Joe Biden—another Democrat—for his health issues. At the beginning of 2023, in January, Jackson hired political consulting firm National Public Affairs to handle his digital fundraising—which is run by Trump veterans Bill Stepien, Justin Clark, and Sean Dollman.
While 2026 may seem like an eternity away now, preparing for a statewide run in a state as large as Texas—if Jackson does decide to run for Cornyn’s seat, whether Cornyn runs for reelection or not—is something that can never begin too early.
The Texas Tribune reported in September 2022 that Jackson was considering a possible statewide run for U.S. Senate in 2026—and that he was beginning to take steps as early as last year to boost his profile with voters beyond his core constituency. While Jackson obviously has not made any such decisions as of yet, his quickly rising stature is definitely getting noticed in the Lone Star State.
“Ronny Jackson has risen quickly in his short time in Congress,” Texas GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi told Breitbart News. “His willingness to actually fight for conservative principles has gained him support not only in the Panhandle but across Texas.”
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