(Austin, TX) – Momentum is building in the first seriously financed challenge to unseat incumbent Republican Congressman Mike McCaul as Democrat Larry Joe Doherty will report over $150,000 raised in his fourth quarter FEC report, bringing his total raised to nearly $380,000 since starting his campaign early summer.

“Checks are still coming in,” noted Campaign Manager Andy Kabza, suggesting that the total will be higher by the time the final report is submitted to the FEC on January 15th. “And with cash-on-hand of over $250,000, we’re ready to take Larry Joe’s message to Democratic primary voters.”

“Our fundraising success is a show of support for my message of change and accountability,” Doherty stated. “Michael McCaul refuses to question the $720 million spent every day in Iraq while voting to deny lower-income children health insurance. Voters are frustrated, but they’re not just complaining, they’re taking a stand for change with their wallets,” Doherty noted.

A legal malpractice attorney, Doherty built a national reputation for taking on lawyers who neglected their clients or abused the system. He and his wife, Joanne, took their commitment to the rule of law one step further by endowing a Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston School of Law. From 2001 to 2005, he starred in the Fox reality courtroom series, Texas Justice.

Doherty has received the endorsements of Col. Larry Romo, Chair of Texas Democratic Veterans, and Houston civil defense lawyer and former Democratic nominee for United States Senate, Barbara Radnofsky. In 2006, Mike McCaul was re-elected with only 55% of the vote despite outspending his opponent by a 12 to 1 margin. A Houston native, Larry Joe and his wife reside in Austin, and maintain a ranch and wildlife preserve in Washington County.

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