Straus warchest hovering around $8 million House Speaker netted $282,000 in contributions during nine days in June

Texas Speaker of the House, Joe Straus answers questions in his office on January 7, 2015. Texas Speaker of the House, Joe Straus answers questions in his office on January 7, 2015. Photo: Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Straus warchest hovering around $8 million 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN— House Speaker Joe Straus heads into the second half of the year with more than $8 million in his political coffers, a nearly unparalleled sum for a sitting state official he will use to bolster his bid for re-election and to aid state Republican candidates.

Team Straus said Wednesday it raised $282,000 in the final nine days of June and now has a total of $8.2 million in the bank. Details of donors and expenditures were not released, though a full campaign finance report is due at the Texas Ethics Commission by Wednesday.

"I am grateful for the support of Texans who believe in the constructive leadership that the Texas House is working to provide," Straus, R-San Antonio, said in a statement. "My colleagues and I feel very good about the results we delivered in this year's session and look forward to sharing those results with our fellow Texans.

The latest tally gives Straus more money at his disposal than anyone in state government other than Gov. Greg Abbott, whose campaign says it now has $17.7 million in the bank.

Straus has had more than $8 million cash on hand since the beginning of the year. In the past, Straus has tapped his own account and a political action committee he leads to support the campaign coffers of sitting GOP members who often have been challenged by tea party candidates funded in large part by outside groups with big money.