Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. interest group. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015 and as a member of the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001.. Abbott was the third Republican to serve as attorney general of Texas since the . That's more than twice the $207,000 they gave during the same period when the legislative session ended in in 2019, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. The money came from159,000 total contributions with an average contribution of roughly $119, his campaign said Tuesday. Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? individual contributions have yet been classified by OpenSecrets. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. (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.). But Luthers star appears to have dimmed after she lost a special election for state Senate last month. Because Texas doesnt have limits on contribution amounts, rich and powerful people can cut massive checks to campaigns. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. That is why Congress and many states have mandated that candidates, political 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. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Greg Abbott - Governor of Texas "In Texas, anything is possible. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. He also received $1.5 million from billionaire George Soros, who is known for backing liberal candidates. With this tracker, The Express-News is providing continuously updated information on political contributions for the Nov. 8, 2022, elections, along with lists of top donors by name and by industry for statewide candidates for governor, attorney general, and lieutenant governor. 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. Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. Both are from Dallas. Dan Patrick, who has differences with Abbott, has never completely died out. and unique way of understanding where candidates are getting their financial support. reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. The data is made public by the Texas Ethics Commission. ALBANY - Gov. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. Abbott has long been considered a prolific fundraiser and O'Rourke garnered a similar reputation during his 2018 bid for the U.S. Senate, when he raised more than $80 million for his campaign. Paddie was among a chorus of elected officials from the governor on down demanding answers and solutions for why Texas grid was on the brink of total collapse in February. He helped raised $54 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates in other states, Carney said. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. I just dont know whos out there who would be able to dethrone an incumbent assuming that COVID improves, the economy does well and Abbott doesnt step his foot into something, Eshbaugh-Soha said. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by 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.". Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. Texas Gov. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. 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. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . 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. However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. 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. Greg Abbott. 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. After the 2021 regular legislative session, energy industry donations totaling $26,000 for the period made up 88% of Paddies campaign contributions over just the last 10 days of June. Through Nov. 30, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million. Crenshaw, 36, is almost as renowned a fundraiser as Abbott, 63. The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. Greg Abbott's 2022 reelection campaign is reporting contributions of 19-million-dollars in the last nine days of June. These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. Abbotts: Oil mogul Javaid S. Anwar of Midland had given Abbott nearly $2.5 millionas well as $200,000 to Paxton. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. Show us with your support. grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180. Those Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. 20005. Therell be a general election opponent, and [Democrats] will put a lot of effort in and theyll raise a lot of money.. Abbott's support comes from a wide variety of Texans all across the Lone Star State." O'Rourke's haul came from 511,000 donors, with. 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. O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. The PUC has largely avoided blame for last weeks power issues, so far, despite providing oversight to ERCOT. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. However, his $7.7 million haul in the first half of 2020 was a nearly 12% decrease from the same phase of his initial term. Learn more about our work here. 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 . 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. Texas Gov. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The Abbott campaign is eyeing aggressive advertising strategies ahead of the November election. 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. ORourke received $2.2 million from Austin couple Simone Coxe, who has worked in communications, and Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist. 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.. Because Texas has no campaign finance contribution limits, its possible both candidates will accumulate and spend record-breaking amounts of campaign cash by Election Day. Power companies were in the hot seat, as millions of Texans who endured a week of subfreezing temperatures with no power demanded sweeping, multibillion dollar improvements to prevent another deadly disaster and lawmakers promised action. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. For the second straight reporting period, O'Rourke's campaign said they brought in more money than incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. During that week, Abbott assured Texans the grid was in better shape than ever. However, her son, H. Ross Perot Jr., who is also a billionaire, has given $500,000 to Abbotts campaign. Polling data suggests a large percentage of voters might agree with O'Rourke on increasing abortion access and gun reform. While former Gov. Texas Ethics Commission records, however, show that three of the 13 representatives on the House Committee on State Affairs have accepted contributions from ERCOT board member Clifton Karnei. 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. Oil and gas executives S. Javaid Anwar and Gary Martin, in particular, have been regular contributors to Abbott for years. Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. 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. 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. 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. Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. Abbott.. Gov. 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. with that same employer, the organization's name winds up on the Top Contributors list. Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to cut off funding for the legislature after Democrats walked out of the final session to prevent the passage of Abbott's voter integrity bill. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. 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. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. During that time same time period, Abbott's campaign said the two-term governor raised just under $25 million but didn't specify down to the decimal point. Here's We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the 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. "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. In late June, it announced an $8.15 million digital media advertising buy, $8.8 million for TV and radio ads, and $2.75 million for Spanish media ads across platforms. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. ORourke received about 391,496 individual donations from outside the state, while Abbott received roughly 109,493. Greg Abbott. 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. 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. ORourkes Powered by People PAC gave $1.7 million to his own campaign. Under federal law, all contributions over $200 must be itemized and the donor's occupation and employer must be ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. Dan Patrick received millions in contributions from the energy industry, a new Texas Tribune report shows. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. Here are the billionaire donors to Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto ORourkes campaigns since January 2021, according to the latest Texas campaign finance filings. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. 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. Patricks calls came after he tried to assert himself prominently in responding to the winter storm by demanding leadership changes at state regulatory agencies and sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. Greg Abbott (R), who easily won the primary with more than 66% of the vote, is by far the largest beneficiary of the industry's political giving. Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. Among the state lawmakers Karnei has contributed to are representatives Shelby Slawson, Phil King and Matt Shaheen, all Republican members of the committee now charged with investigating ERCOT. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. 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. 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. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. ORourke, who only launched his campaign for governor in November last year, has raised just $61,000 from at least 2 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. In Texas, Gov. All rights reserved, Texas House Plans to Pass Largest Property Tax Decrease Ever,' Speaker Phelan Says, Texas Republicans to Vote on Resolution That Would Censure Rep. Tony Gonzales, 3 Children Killed, 2 Wounded in Ellis County Home; 1 in Custody: Sheriff, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61. Still, ORourke does have a few of his own billionaire supporters. Im grateful for everyone who helped raise $25.18 million in just three months as we support the work of our organizers and record-breaking 100,000 volunteers, said ORourke. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases Karnei, the CEO of a Central Texas power cooperative, is an abounding donor to politicians and energy-related political action committees, campaign finance records show. Data for The leading two candidates for Texas governor each pulled in about $25 million in campaign contributions during the summer, with a slight edge going to Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke who reported 10 times as many donors. In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. Texas is already guaranteed record-setting spendingfor a governor's race this year, and the numbers keep climbing. motivation for each individual giver. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference regarding Texas emergency response to an unprecedented winter storm gripping Texas on Feb. 13, 2021. shifted blame to renewable energy sources, significant power generation was unexpectedly offline, Abbott assured Texans the grid was in better shape than ever. Kolten Parker, Digital Executive Producer. The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. The Texas Tribune has been tracking contributions, expenditures and cash on hand for both candidates since ORourke officially entered the race in November last year. 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 He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based on detailed records. 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. based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get As CNBC reported, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans in a speech on. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. These are the latest numbers ahead of Election Day. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. 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. Greg Abbott hauled in nearly $19 million over the last nine days of June and boasted an eye-popping $55 million in the bank as he prepares to . A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for reelection, influence donor activity. A contribution to a candidate may be given an According to its website, OPUC represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers, as a class, in utility proceedings in Texas. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . 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. 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. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. Florida Gov. 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 . Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. 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. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. In November, Republicans held their 83-67 majority in the Texas House, despite organizing efforts by ORourkes Powered by People group and millions of dollars in TV ads bought by national Democratic super PACs. How many donations came from within Texas? Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race, Ahead of primary, Gov. Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's profile. Abbott said 81% of his donors were from Texas. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. While (Gov. 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.. 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. There was a series of finger-pointing and falsehoods from state elected officials who wouldn't accept responsibility and falsely shifted blame to renewable energy sources as they vowed to fix the grid. Texas Gov. July 19, 2022 Four out of the top 10 individual donors to Abbott are oil and gas men. Thats what allows Gov. Abbott is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. Democrat Mike Collier gets his rematch with incumbent Lt. Gov. their contributions as being related to the "First National Bank" since that's the source of the family's income. 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. 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. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. 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 totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. Dan Patricks Senate. 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.
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