Evan McMorris-Santoro July 16, 2010, 11:16 AM

Former Houston mayor Bill White (D) has raised more money — and has more cash on hand — than the incumbent Gov. Rick Perry (R) in the Texas gubernatorial race, according to financial reports out this week.

Perry, running for a third term as Governor of Texas, the job he first got after George W. Bush left Austin for the White House in 2001, raised $7.1 million between Feb. 21 and June 30, according to reports. White, who was the popular mayor of Houston after serving in the Clinton administration as a deputy secretary of energy, raised 7.7 million in the same period.

The biggest difference comes in cash on hand, however. Perry weathered an expensive primary during the period, while White faced only nominal opposition for the nomination. That left him with $9 million in cash on hand at the end of June. Perry reported $5.8 million. (Overall fundraising from the entire race shows Perry ahead in the money race, with $20 million raised in comparison to White’s $16.6 million.)

The TPM Poll Average for the race shows Perry ahead by a margin of 47.4-40.9.

Both campaigns said the new reports suggest the public is behind them.

Texans from all backgrounds and political viewpoints see Bill White as someone who’s in it for Texas,” White’s finance chair, Scott Atlas, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “People in over 200 Texas counties have generously contributed to the campaign and over 11,700 contributors this period were first-time donors. There’s a growing sense that Texans are ready for a new governor.”

The Perry camp told the Dallas Morning News “the governor’s fundraising underscores wide public support for Perry’s re-election.”

2010 elections, TX-GOV