click to enlarge Courtesy Photo

Gina Ortiz Jones is running to represent the South Texas district being vacated by retiring GOP House member Will Hurd.

Democratic candidates vying to represent San Antonio-area swing districts in the U.S. House have pulled ahead of their GOP opponents in fundraising, campaign filings show.Both Gina Ortiz Jones, who's running for the 23rd District seat being vacated by retiring Republican Will Hurd, and former Texas Sen. Wendy Davis, who's running to represent the Hill Country's 21st District, amassed larger war chests than their rivals at the end of the first quarter.The news comes as Democrats hang high hopes on turning Texas blue or at least a shade of purple in November.Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, raised $806,766 in the first quarter, giving her nearly $2.4 million cash on hand.

Voters will decide in a runoff which of two Republicans — Tony Gonzales or Raul Reyes — will face her in November. Gonzales ended the quarter with $272,000 in cash and Reyes with just over $45,000.

Meanwhile, Davis raised $1.2 million during the quarter, giving her a nearly $2 million in total cash. Her opponent, freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy pulled in $456,000 for the quarter, bringing his cash on hand to $1.5 million.