The rest of Abbott's campaign contributions for the 2020 election cycle are made up of moderate-to-large donations as well as small-dollar donors. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. The amount of money the senator fundraised from energy interests jumped from $1,000 to $44,500, the Tribune found. The state of Texas imposes no limits on how much money you can give to your local representative, your senator, your governor, said Wheat. ALBANY - Gov. And talk of a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Abbott and ORourke are not the only gubernatorial candidates who have received backing from local Texas billionaires. why: Summary numbers for federal officeholders - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are Do you value our journalism? However, Democratic challenger Beto ORourke reported raising $27.6 million from late February through June, which is the most a candidate for state office in Texas has ever raised in a single reporting period. Officials with ERCOT, which ordered local utility companies to shed load from the power grid as energy demand exceeded supply, are expected to answer questions during the hearing. ORourkes top donors come from industries including finance, media and philanthropy. Greg Abbott - Governor of Texas "In Texas, anything is possible. The top California donors in the Texas governor's race, How the biggest Republican stronghold in Texas could cost Gov. Abbott raised more in smaller cities and rural areas. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. UHs Cross said Abbott actually was straddling various state GOP factions long before 2020 and will continue to do so. Under federal law, all contributions over $200 must be itemized and the donor's occupation and employer must be Texas Gov. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. 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. may affect those organizations or their industries. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. 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. useful after the election, as issues come before Congress, presidential administrations and state governments that More: Ahead of primary, Gov. 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. Contributors 2022 $71,842,556 grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022 Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180 Top: 20 Top 20 Contributors to Campaign Committee Export to CSV Showing 1 to 20 of 20 entries However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. Referring to gun control stands by ORourke and the possibility the Texas Democrat could return to Washington, Carney said, Being Biden administration gun czar is not the best credential to use to run for anything in Texas.. 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. 2023 www.statesman.com. 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. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. His team called the haul a "record-breaking amount" and said "no Democratic campaign in the states history has raised more money during the opening days of their race.". But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name, $2 million raised during the first 24 hours, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. Patrick is in the middle of a131-stop bus tour across Texas, while Collier continues totout his alliances with moderateRepublicans who are endorsing him over the incumbent. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during Dan Patrick received millions in contributions from the energy industry, a new Texas Tribune report shows. These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. sectors) can be seen in each candidate and race profile, and in the Industry Profile section of the OpenSecrets 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. Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. As CNBC reported, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans in a speech on. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. 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.. Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race, Ahead of primary, Gov. Texas Gov. O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. Greg Abbott said his campaign raised nearly $19 million in the last six months of 2021, a total that brought his campaign war chest to a staggering $65 million in December. AUSTIN Gov. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas. 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. parties and political committees request employer information from contributors and publicly report it when the At the state level, The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. Abbott's campaign stressed that since the start of 2021, the two-term Republican incumbent "has raised nearly $95 million from more than 418,000 donations." Since O'Rourke announced his. While former Gov. Heres how they compare. That's four times more. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. The former El Paso congressman and presidential candidate is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to win statewide office in Texas and to be the state's first Democratic governor since Ann Richards (1991-1995). Were receiving support from those in every part of this state who are ready to hold Greg Abbott fully accountable for eight years of failing all of us as he continues to put his extreme agenda over the people of Texas. That said, she fully supports Governor Abbotts decision to declare the grid event an emergency item for the Legislatures attention and is fully committed, along with her fellow commissioners, to engaging in the legislative inquiry on the way to understanding what factors collided with a natural disaster to cause the outages. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. Abbott's campaign said his roughly $25 million in donations from the most recent filing period came from nearly 45,000 contributors, which is 1/10th of the number of donors reported by his. 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. 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. interest group. Of the trio, King received the most contributions from Karnei by far: five between 2004 and 2016 totaling $475, according to TEC records. 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 . This is a BETA experience. He covers Gov. The PUC has largely avoided blame for last weeks power issues, so far, despite providing oversight to ERCOT. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising records in their race for Texas governor. (An Abbott spokesman did not release the campaigns report for the second half of 2020, which is due at the Texas Ethics Commission on Friday.). Data for Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. In other cases, the reason for the Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. for data entry). reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. Carney said Abbott spent $6.1 million to help down-ballot Republicans. 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. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. Oil and gas executives S. Javaid Anwar and Gary Martin, in particular, have been regular contributors to Abbott for years. Connect with needs and opportunities from. DC Gov. How much have the candidates raised so far? contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. He did not respond to a request for comment. 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. According to its website, OPUC represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers, as a class, in utility proceedings in Texas. 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. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . DeSantis, who frequently tangles . reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based on detailed records. O'Rourke at that time had raised $7.2 million while Abbott raised nearly $19 million in the last six months of 2021, according to January campaign finance reports. As Gov. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Nearly half (45%) of the 1,200 Texas voters who participated in the poll indicated support for Abbott while 39% showed support for O'Rourke. While some of this money. the Coronavirus crisis. Kolten Parker, Digital Executive Producer. Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. Gov. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. 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. Abbotts: Oil mogul Javaid S. Anwar of Midland had given Abbott nearly $2.5 millionas well as $200,000 to Paxton. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. Had the bill passed, Walker would not be running the PUC. 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. But Luthers star appears to have dimmed after she lost a special election for state Senate last month. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and ORourke and Abbott will compete separately in their own party primaries on March 1, but many are already looking ahead to a general election between the former Democratic House representative and the current Republican governor. Florida Gov. As he preps for 2022, Abbott may steal a page from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who last year tried to hold on to fervent Trump supporters while appealing to more moderate swing voters in the suburbs. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. He helped raised $54 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates in other states, Carney said. A spokesperson for Abbott told the Defenders via email, Governor Abbott has made the reform of ERCOT an emergency item and has assured the public we will not leave this session without reforming the entity.. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. More than a quarter of Hancocks contributions in June came from energy interests, about $53,500 the most he has ever received in a post-legislative session period. ORourke received about 391,496 individual donations from outside the state, while Abbott received roughly 109,493. Abbott is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. For some energy experts, the increase in donations for the officials at the close of the session looks like a reward for not passing more stringent regulations and raises questions about whether lawmakers let the oil, gas and the broader energy industry off easy for its massive failures. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. contributor provides it. 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. 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. Given more time, Gov. 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. While summary numbers are reported almost immediately by the Just before the energy donations poured in for Abbott in June, the power grid operator asked Texans, mid-heat wave, to conserve power and turn their thermostats to 78 degrees for a week in order to reduce electricity demand because significant power generation was unexpectedly offline. We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. requested and disclosed, if provided. 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. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National Democrat Beto O'Rourke hasraised $7.2 million since launchinghis campaign for Texas governor, according to his campaign. Overall since 2014, Abbott has received about $30 million from oil, gas and other energy interests, which is about 18% of his $166 million total raised in that time. Disclosure: Javaid Anwar, Tench and Simone Otus Coxe, Marguerite Hoffman, Gary Martin, Gulf States Toyota, HillCo Partners LLC and Ross Perot Jr./Hillwood Development Co. LLC have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke shatter fundraising records in the Texas governor's race, see who has been donating to candidates with this campaign finance interactive.. With this tracker . Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. Gov. Collier now has more money, a stronger team and a ground game that has pushed Patrick torun a more aggressive and public-facing campaignthan he ran four years ago. 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. available information, the donor is given an economic code. 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. 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. Abbott, who has held a commanding lead in cash on hand during the race, touts $46 million in his campaign coffers. Abbott's campaign said his roughly $25 million in donations from the most recent filing period came from nearly 45,000 contributors, which is 1/10th of the number of donors reported by his challenger over the same time period. databases are only as current as the FEC has been able to compile by that date (see the note above about lag times Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. Totals for industries (and larger economic For a time, there was buzz about Shelley Luther, who catapulted to fame for reopening her Dallas hair salon in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions. A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. But were looking at almost two years until our election. To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. Not long after, Abbott released a list of issues lawmakers needed to address in July during a special-called legislative session. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. O'Rourke did not say how much money his campaign has on hand -- or how much it has spent -- while teasing his fundraising numbers before filing his latest campaign finance report. AUSTIN Gov. Greg Abbott urges letting the vote counting play out in Trump-Biden race, How a Joe Biden win isnt necessarily bad news for Texas Gov. Organizations like political action committees or industry associations can also give directly to candidate campaigns. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after Cobos salary is $143,000. Walker, the chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and a former senior policy advisor to Abbott, contributed $7,620 to Texans for Greg Abbott from 2009 to 2015, state campaign records show. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 More broadly, Governor Abbotts political committee, Texans For Greg Abbott, has built up a massive war chest of donations, from billionaires and many other donors, which hell be able to take into the general election if he wins his race on March 1. About 26% of Patrick's contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. Do you value our journalism? He also received $1.5 million from billionaire George Soros, who is known for backing liberal candidates. FEC and listed quickly on OpenSecrets processing and analyzing the detailed records takes much longer. 20005. Rene Cross of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs, though, said Abbotts most vulnerable to a test by a younger Democrat such as ORourke or the Castro brothers of San Antonio, Julin and Joaquin. Greg Abbott hauled in nearly $19 million over nine days and boasted an eye-popping $55 million in the bank as he prepares his campaign for a . the first of the month. Texas Gov. Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. July 19, 2022 Some of the state data included errors in the address field; these records were corrected when possible such as when the donors address was available elsewhere in the data set and omitted from the location-based calculations when not. Despite corporations statements this week that theyre suspending contributions to Republicans, Im not worried about how its going to affect the governors fundraising, Carney said. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. Greg Abbott. He has attacked the city of Austin repeatedly for reducing its police budget and repealing a ban on camping in public spaces that had generated thousands of citations to homeless people in the past. Find a complete list of them here. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. As a Republican and a Texan, Abbott may have received significant campaign contributions from the NRA. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. Abbott signed into law last year an abortion ban excepting cases when the life of a pregnant patientis in danger that takes effect later this summer. 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. In addition, cryptocurrency CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who gave ORourke $1 million, is under investigation for breaking the states securities law. Democrat Beto O'Rourke has raised $7.2 million since launching his campaign for Texas governor . 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.. Both are from Dallas. Ron DeSantis, viewed as the greatest GOP threat to former President Trump's 2024 White House campaign, is visiting Southern California this weekend to promote his new book and curry favor as he raises money for Republicans in conservative strong-holds. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. All other numbers in these Dan Patricks Senate. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. Abbotts biggest individual donors have always come from the energy industry, and this time is no exception, with energy tycoons making up 40% of his top 10 donors. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources During the same stretch after the two subsequent . 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. While some of this money. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a Warren's company Energy Transfer declined to comment on his behalf. 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. Governor Abbott represents all Texans, and thats what he takes into account every day as he works on behalf of the Lone Star State, spokeswoman Renae Eze said. Usually, state candidates in Texas get the majority of their donations from Texans. Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. The totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, chair of the powerful state affairs committee in the House, was among those lawmakers.