Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. Carpenter, Cobos and Walker are three of 10 remaining ERCOT board members after the five others all of whom live out of state resigned this week. After the Defenders reached out to Cobos seeking comment Tuesday, Jon Oliver, an OPUC spokesperson, called back and said he was unaware of any campaign contributions made to Abbott. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. concerted effort by that organization to "bundle" contributions to the candidate. Still, in the 2019 legislative session, Abbott successfully appealed to GOP leaders and lawmakers to tend to bread-and-butter issues such as improving public schools and lowering property taxes. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. The Republican governor raised 26% more in last years final six months than the $9.1 million he raised in late 2016 the comparable period in his first term. In January, fracking billionaire Farris Wilks, who gained national attention when he poured $15 million into backing Ted Cruzs 2016 presidential bid, gave $2 million to a PAC called Defend Texas Liberty that donated $1 million to the campaign of Don Huffines, another candidate running in the Republican primary who is considered a long shot to win. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Abbott compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022: The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Texas PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. ALBANY - Gov. contributor provides it. The top California donors in the Texas governor's race, How the biggest Republican stronghold in Texas could cost Gov. Note that Paxtons top donor is the same as Gov. Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race, Ahead of primary, Gov. Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, who is seeking his third term in office, has reported huge fundraising hauls in the past, amassing staggering amounts of cash in his campaign coffers. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. The remaining figures - based on detailed contribution data - are updated by OpenSecrets The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Abbott.. A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017 would have prohibited the governor from appointing a political donor to a position if he or she had contributed more than $2,500 in a year. Dan Patrick, who has differences with Abbott, has never completely died out. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising records in their race for Texas governor. Lori Cobos and DeAnn Walker, two Abbott appointees who sit on ERCOTs board due to their respective positions with the state, are listed among the governors lengthy list of political donors. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. But were looking at almost two years until our election. disclosures vary. Both are from Dallas. I wouldnt count him out., Last fall, Abbott gave money and shared his campaigns detailed voter information database with GOP hopefuls in several of the key Texas House contests. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. Democrat Rochelle Garza, a former attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, has struggled to fundraise at the levels needed to take on the well-funded and well-known incumbent. These totals are conservative, as not all of the He did not respond to a request for comment. Gov. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . Texas has no limits on campaign contributions. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. The Small Donors column represents the sum of itemized contributions from donors who gave an aggregate of less than $50. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a Dozens of donations in quantities like $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 and page after page of $10,000 donations poured in over the course of the election cycle from individuals and PACs alike. The two-term governor is one of the most prolific GOP fundraisers in the country and had previously reported raising more than $30 million through the first half of the year and said Tuesday his campaign has now raised $95 million during the current election cycle from more than 418,000 contributors. Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. But an analysis of state campaign finance records by the KSAT 12 Defenders shows three current members of ERCOTs board have contributed thousands to Abbotts campaigns, with some of the funds dating back to his days as Texas Attorney General. On ORourkes campaign they added, This is a grassroots campaign funded largely by the people of Texasnot the select few who know they can buy Abbott off.. He also received $1.5 million from billionaire George Soros, who is known for backing liberal candidates. reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based on detailed records. At the state level, Polling data suggests a large percentage of voters might agree with O'Rourke on increasing abortion access and gun reform. Democrat Beto O'Rourke hasraised $7.2 million since launchinghis campaign for Texas governor, according to his campaign. We shouldnt be sure that theres going to be significant reform and regular citizens have to be pressuring their lawmakers, pressuring their state officials so that our voice gets heard as well as those people who are essentially wining and dining and giving money to the politicians, said Wheat, who added that the contributions are likely small compared to those some politicians receive from energy executives and energy-backed PACs. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. The tour, which starts in O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso has scheduled 70 public events in 65 counties, including in many areas that historically have preferred Republican candidates. On Wednesday, Abbott underscored state Republicans delight that they held off the Democrats charge in the election immediately preceding a once-a-decade redistricting of political boundaries. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . Critics said this and other storm response bills spearheaded by these lawmakers also failed to provide direct assistance to people harmed by Februarys power crisis or to help Texans reduce electricity use to take pressure off the grid during extreme weather. reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. As Gov. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases That's four times more. All rights reserved. Showing these clusters of contributions from people associated with particular organizations provides a valuable Robert T. Garrett, Austin Bureau Chief. Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the . These are the latest numbers ahead of Election Day. A report from Texans for Public Justice released this week found that Abbott raised more than $87 million in campaign contributions from the start of 2017 through the end of last year. And what you want to be able to do is have the ear of the lawmakers, said Andrew Wheat of Texans for Public Justice, an Austin non-profit that tracks money in Texas politics. Im grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63 million in just over four months as we support the powerful work of our organizers and more than 78,000 volunteers, O'Rourke said in the release. This means that overall, Abbotts Texas donors gave more than ORourkes Texas donors. Four out of the top 10 individual donors to Abbott are oil and gas men. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. ORourke, who has had significantly less time to fundraise compared to Abbott, reported raising $4.3 million from the beginning of the year to February 19, compared to Abbott, who raised $5.3 million in the same time frame. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. As CNBC reported, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans in a speech on. O'Rourke is running in the Democratic primary and facesMichael Cooper, Joy Diaz, Inocencio Barrientez and Rich Wakeland. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. Bolstered by his record-breaking figures over the past few months, ORourke has raised almost $6 million more than Abbott as of Oct. 29, 2022. 4 min read. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. While (Gov. During the same stretch after the two subsequent . His chemical logistics company serves the oil and gas industry, among others. Thats what allows Gov. AUSTIN Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. Dan Patrick, she lost a special election for state Senate last month, Greg Abbott confronts coronavirus as stronger governor than Texas had 50 years ago, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million, Dark alley no more: This time, Texas Republicans were ready for the Democrats, Pandemic. "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. He was not appointed by Abbott and did not return a call for comment. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. Organizations like political action committees or industry associations can also give directly to candidate campaigns. There is also a time lag in posting the information. AUSTIN Gov. In cases where two or more people from the same family contributed, the income-earner's occupation/employer is DC State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, who led much of the upper chambers response to the storm that left millions of Texans without electricity for days in subfreezing temperatures, also got a boost in funding. Where available, OpenSecrets uses that employer/occupation information to identify the donor's economic interest. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. OpenSecrets A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 857-0044 INFO: info@crp.org Do you value our journalism? A PUC spokesman instead sent the following statement: Dillon, responding on Chairman Walkers behalf as shes still fully engaged in issues related to the winter storm related grid event. Gov. In 2017, Abbott appointed her to lead the PUC, where she makes a $200,000 salary. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. The Texas House Committee on State Affairs is scheduled to hold a joint hearing Thursday morning with the House Energy Resources Committee to examine what led to statewide electrical blackouts. OpenSecrets A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 857-0044 INFO: info@crp.org Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National Schwertner went from receiving 3% of his overall campaign contributions from the energy industry in the fundraising period after the 2015 legislative session to the industry making up about 32% of his contributions in 2021. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. A spokesperson for Oncor said the company believes in actively participating in the political process. CenterPoint said: In this case, CenterPoint Energy Political Action Committee made public contributions to support members of the Texas Legislature who had announced their intention to run for re-election, regardless of party affiliation. A Calpine representative said its CEO, who made up the bulk of contributions tied to the company, donated money as he develops relationships with these members directly. The other two companies did not respond to requests for comment. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Texas Ethics Commission, the governor received $44,778,653 in total contributions and spent $37,930,300 between January 1, 2021 and February 19, 2022. The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. Since a deadly winter storm hit Texas earlier this month Governor Greg Abbott has repeatedly heaped criticism on ERCOT, the operator of the states electric grid, claiming the entity was woefully unprepared for the dangerous weather that has killed a still-untold number of people. Abbotts potential opponents next year include former Democratic presidential hopeful Beto ORourke as well as several fellow Republicans who have criticized COVID-19 executive orders as overreach. Just 6%, or $1,141, of his overall campaign contributions in the brief June fundraising period after the 2015 legislative session came from the energy industry. The O'Rourke campaign said nearly all of the more than 511,000 contributions to the campaign, at an average of $54, came from online donors and that teachers contributed more than people from any other occupation. Had the bill passed, Walker would not be running the PUC. In addition, Abbott has received donations from deep-pocketed donors in the real estate industry like Edward Roski Jr., president of Majestic Realty in California, who gave $1.5 million, as well as three donations of $1 million each from supporters in finance and casinos. Kolten Parker is digital executive producer at KSAT. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. The. Over that same short stretch in June, 11 prominent oil industry leaders, including billionaires Kelcy Warren, S. Javaid Anwar and Douglas Scharbauer all three whom could not be reached for comment combined to contribute about $3.2 million to Texas elected officials, up from about $2.2 million over the same period following the previous legislative session in 2019. Greg Abbott. Based on the Texas Gov. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. Greg) Abbott is taking million-dollar checks from the CEOs who profited off of the grid collapse, were receiving support from people all over Texas who want to ensure that our state finally leads in great jobs, world class schools and the ability to see a doctor," O'Rourke said in a statement. Knowing those groups is also Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. The money came from159,000 total contributions with an average contribution of roughly $119, his campaign said Tuesday. While some of this money. His largest billionaire donor so far is Margot Birmingham Perot, the widow of former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot Sr. Shes given $25,000 to ORourkes campaign since November. Texas Gov. individual contributions have yet been classified by OpenSecrets. Those donations included $1 million from Warren, cofounder of a pipeline company that made $2.4 billion from the winter storm, according to a report from Bloomberg. Earlier, he was a statehouse reporter for three newspapers, including the Dallas Times Herald. Show us with your support. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. The Bush familys origin story in Texas revolves around oil and gas, and money from the industry has funded much of the familys political fortunes in the state ever since they arrived in West Texas. Using previous figures reported by the Texas Ethics Commission, O'Rourke has now raised more than $65 million in what has become one of America's most expensive races of the 2022 midterms. Making a million-dollar political donation to reward the government for its light touch and encourage the government to continue turning a blind eye to price gouging and windfall profits while hundreds of people die seems like a good return on investment., Making a million-dollar political donation to reward the government for its light touch and encourage the government to continue turning a blind eye to price gouging and windfall profits while hundreds of people die seems like a good return on investment.. voters, researchers and others. Other billionaires with major oil and gas interests who are backing Abbott include Nancy Kinder, the wife of Kinder Morgan cofounder Richard Kinder; Hilcorp cofounder Jeff Hildebrand; Chief Oil & Gas founder Trevor Rees-Jones; Hunt Oil heir Ray Lee Hunt and Western Refining founder Paul Foster, who Abbott appointed to run the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in April last year. Abbott has run a similar playbook as Perry and has taken it to a different level, Rottinghaus said. Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. Abbott received about $4.6 million from oil, gas and broader energy interests, his largest haul ever from those groups in the post-legislative session fundraising period following the four regular legislative sessions during Abbotts tenure as governor. Democrat Beto O'Rourke announced he's running for governor of Texas and says he'll move past divisive politics and bring the state together. On Friday, Texans for Greg Abbott announced in a press release the governor raised nearly $25 . This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and O'Rourke, who launched his campaign in November, raised the significant sum over 46 days on the campaign trail from more than115,600 contributions of which roughly 80% were made online. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Carney also said that while O'Rourke focuses on abortion rights and restricting assault-style weapons, Abbott would continue to emphasize economic issues, including the high inflation rate. Both candidates have received more campaign cash from ZIP codes where wealthier people live because thats who tends to give money to politicians on both sides of the aisle. How many donations came from within Texas? State GOP Chairman Allen West heads most lists of possible challengers to Abbott in the March 2022 Republican primary, many of which also include former state Sen. Don Huffines. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Texas Ethics Commission, the governor received $44,778,653 in total contributions and spent $37,930,300 between January 1, 2021 and February 19, 2022. We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the employer. As of Oct. 29, 2022, the overwhelming percentage of donations both candidates received are worth $200 or less. The twisted roots between the oil and gas industry and Texas lawmakers is almost as old as the Capitol building itself, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Greg Abbott. In addition, both Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC and Q-PAC, which are tied to billionaire Dan Friedkin and Geoffrey Raynor, respectively, have also donated to Abbott in the past. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. This is a BETA experience. Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . So although an Abbott campaign news release touted the $19.2 million he raised last year, it was just an 8% increase over the $17.8 million he raised in 2016. Connect with needs and opportunities from. Last year, Abbott wouldve raised more if hed been able to hold in-person fundraisers and hadnt been busy as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Carney said. That is why Congress and many states have mandated that candidates, political "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. But that wasnt always the case: In June 2021, Abbott had a campaign balance of over $55 million, and Abbott has spent almost twice as much money as his opponent, including a June ad buy worth nearly $20 million. Oliver told KSAT that he was also unaware of any recent criticism levied toward ERCOT by Abbott. Greg Abbott raised $11.5 million from July through December, and now can brandish almost $38 million of cash as he tries to scare off opponents in his campaign for a third term next year. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. interest group. 2023 www.statesman.com. Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. In the past two cycles, national Democrats have shown their willingness to pour millions into once-forbidding Texas. UHs Cross said Abbott actually was straddling various state GOP factions long before 2020 and will continue to do so.