AUSTIN, Texas — Democrat Jon Rosenthal outraised Republican Bo French in the most recent reporting period in the Texas Railroad Commissioner race, a shift political observers say reflects growing attention on the contest even as French maintains a sizable financial advantage overall.

The latest campaign finance report shows Rosenthal raised more money than French between July 1 and Sept. 24. Rosenthal raised more than $48,000 more than French during that period, though French still has more than $151,000 more cash on hand.

According to the report, Rosenthal raised $488,415.56, while French raised $439,913.92.

“Even though Rosenthal has done something impressive here outraising his Republican opponent, it’s still a major uphill battle for him,” said Josh Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project.

Rosenthal said the fundraising reflects support from small-dollar donors.

“It’s a great emotional boost to have just everyday people send in five, $10, $20 to express their confidence in this race and in me personally,” Rosenthal said.

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The race has drawn heightened attention in recent weeks following a social media post by French. Last month, French posted a photo of students at the University of Texas at Austin celebrating Texas’ win against Ohio State and wrote: “Social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine.”

The post reached three million views, and some UT Austin students said it continues to resonate.

“They seem like they have more passion and commitment to school and to Texas than he does,” said Kitt C, a UT Austin student.

Blank said the post affected how some Republicans view French and helped elevate the race’s profile.

“French’s tweet reinforced for a lot of Republicans concerns they had about his candidacy and brought those concerns to the forefront for a lot of voters who maybe weren’t paying attention during the Republican primary when some of these issues first got aired,” Blank said.

French’s campaign was contacted for comment but had not responded as of the afternoon.