Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is running miles behind her runoff election rival for Houston mayor in campaign fundraising and spending.  

Local station KHOU reports that Jackson Lee raised nearly $500,000 in November compared to almost $1.8 million for state Sen. John Whitmire. He outspent the longtime Houston-area congresswoman $340,000 to more than $2 million on ads.

The campaign finance report casts a shadow over Jackson Lee’s election chances. It’s crunch time for her, as early voting ended on Dec. 5 and the runoff is scheduled for Dec. 9.

In the first round of voting on Nov. 7, Jackson Lee finished second behind Whitmire in a field of 17 candidates. She won 36 percent of the vote to Whitmire’s 43 percent. No candidate passed the 50 percent threshold, triggering a runoff election between Jackson Lee and Whitmire.

A poll taken in mid-November showed Jackson Lee trailing Whitmire, a fellow Democrat, by 7 percent (42 percent to 35 percent), with 22 percent of voters undecided, Houston Public Radio reports.

“It's hard to raise money when you’re losing,” political analyst Brandon Rottinghaus told KHOU. “If the perception is you’re not going to win the race, you’re not going to raise the money.”

The poll suggested that Jackson Lee needs high voter turnout, especially among Black Houstonians, to upset Whitmire.

Voters split along racial lines, with about two-thirds of Black voters supporting Jackson Lee and the same percentage of white voters backing Whitmire, whom Latinos and conservatives also favor over Jackson Lee. 

"This is a race that hasn't lit voters on fire; it hasn't excited voters," Rottinghaus said. "Turnout has been flat. This race hasn't been about ideology. It hasn't been about issues. It's been about mobilization."

If elected, Jackson Lee would be Houston’s first Black female mayor. Current term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner, the city’s second Black mayor, endorsed Jackson Lee in the runoff race. Houston’s first Black mayor, Lee Patrick Brown, has backed Whitmire.