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. O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. In other cases, the reason for the in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during From June 21 to June 30, after the legislative fundraising blackout ended, five of the largest and most prominent companies in the Texas power grid supply chain Calpine, Centerpoint, NRG Energy, Oncor and Vistra or their top executives collectively donated about $497,000 to state elected officials and political groups. The organizations that donated the most money to Abbott this reporting period have previously given to the governor. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Democrat Mike Collier gets his rematch with incumbent Lt. Gov. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. Caroline Covington contributed to this story. There is also a time lag in posting the information. Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. Here's how much. However, the patterns of contributions provide critical information for This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. 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. Oliver told KSAT that he was also unaware of any recent criticism levied toward ERCOT by Abbott. In 2017, Abbott appointed her to lead the PUC, where she makes a $200,000 salary. Donors who give more than $200 to any federal candidate, PAC or party committee must list their occupation and Texas governor race: Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott campaigns raise more The Legislature ultimately passed a bill shepherded by Paddie in the House and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, in the Senate that requires power generation companies to prepare to withstand extreme weather conditions. 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. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Through Nov. 30, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. and formats. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Polling data suggests a large percentage of voters might agree with O'Rourke on increasing abortion access and gun reform. Democrat Beto O'Rourke has raised $7.2 million since launching his campaign for Texas governor . Beto O'Rourke Edges Texas Gov. Abbott in Summer Campaign Contributions contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. 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. Texas elected officials cant receive campaign donations during the session, but after it ended in May, they were showered in cash by the energy industry even more than usual for a group known for its deep pockets and generous campaign giving. Home - FollowTheMoney.org 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. Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. Board member Mark Carpenter, a senior vice president with Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery, has contributed $10,000 to Texans for Greg Abbott, Abbotts campaign war chest, since October 2018. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. 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. 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. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. February winter storm: Campaign donations poured in after reform - WFAA Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke shatter fundraising recordsin the Texas governors race, see who has been donating to candidates with this campaign finance interactive. But Luthers star appears to have dimmed after she lost a special election for state Senate last month. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. 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.. However, Abbott s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak has attracted criticism from Democrats, independents and staunchly conservative Republicans, weakening his once-robust job approval ratings in public polls. Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. 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 . Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. 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. The data is from the period between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 29, 2022. As of Oct. 29, 2022, the overwhelming percentage of donations both candidates received are worth $200 or less. for data entry). Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. Find a complete list of them here. Governor Patrick, who moved immediately following the February storm to call for the resignations of both the PUC board and ERCOT, both of which were fully reformed through Senate Bills 2 and 3.. Abbott, O'Rourke and more: See who's donating to Texas candidates ahead Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. On the expenditures side, Gov. Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. 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. 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. 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. Show us with your support. That's four times more. 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. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get For that Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. 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. Where available, OpenSecrets uses that employer/occupation information to identify the donor's economic interest. AUSTIN 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. Greg Abbott. Democrat Beto O'Rourke hasraised $7.2 million since launchinghis campaign for Texas governor, according to his campaign. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. 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. Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. Those 2023 www.statesman.com. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Here is how fundraising by Texas Gov. Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican 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. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. According to its website, OPUC represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers, as a class, in utility proceedings in Texas. Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit OpenSecrets. Note that Paxtons top donor is the same as Gov. 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. 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. 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. The Defenders sent Oliver quotes from a Feb. 18 press conference during which Abbott said, ERCOT failed on each of these measures that they said they had undertaken. Greg Abbott - Texas Governor (R) Now showing data for the 2022 election year. 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. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. The top California donors in the Texas governor's race, How the biggest Republican stronghold in Texas could cost Gov. Open Secrets following the money in politics, OpenSecrets Following the money in politics, Why (and How) We Use Donors' Employer/Occupation Information, Organization unavailable for these records. How many donations came from within Texas? Texas politicians got cash boost from energy industry after legislative 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. Texas has no limits on campaign contributions. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. Greg Abbott. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. Energy Tycoon Kelcy Warren's Gave $1 Million to Greg Abbott disclosures vary. 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. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. 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. Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. 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. 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 Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. available information, the donor is given an economic code. Not long after, Abbott released a list of issues lawmakers needed to address in July during a special-called legislative session. the Coronavirus crisis. 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. Energy officials have repeatedly said that the states natural gas supply was also hindered by the storm, in large part because energy plants did not have properly winterized equipment. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. In Texas, Gov. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. Gov. Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. 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. Heres how they compare. 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. 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. 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. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. We will secure the future of Texas." Email * Zip Code * Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. employer. That has resulted in both candidates receiving a large number of donations from outside Texas. All other numbers in these Abbott's Chart-Topping Donors for 2020 - Transparency USA Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. Therell be a general election opponent, and [Democrats] will put a lot of effort in and theyll raise a lot of money.. 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. 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. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . Four out of the top 10 individual donors to Abbott are oil and gas men. Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. 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. AUSTIN Gov. 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. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. Greg Abbott Top Contributors OpenSecrets Texas Gov. Abbott receives $44.8 million, with a Greg - Ballotpedia Find a complete list of them here. 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. 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. 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). Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. 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. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The data presented here is sourced from the Texas Ethics Commission, which displays campaign finance filings from candidate committees. Get immediate access to organizations and people databases are only as current as the FEC has been able to compile by that date (see the note above about lag times Texas Gov. Carney said Abbott spent $6.1 million to help down-ballot Republicans. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed SB 923, delivering on Abbott's reelection campaign goal to deny undocumented children access to public education unless the . 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. 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. About 26% of Patricks contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. A large chunk of that cash was driven by Oncor, Texas largest transmission and distribution electric company, with many big donations coming from the company's executives. Democrats have not won a statewide office in three decades, but incumbent Republican Ken Paxton is deemed vulnerable because of his2015 felony indictment for securities fraudand unrelated accusations of corruption that his top aides took to the FBIin late 2020. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the . According to June polls from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, 4 in 5 respondents support background checks on all gun purchases, and just 15% support an abortion ban. In cases where two or more people from the same family contributed, the income-earner's occupation/employer is Recession. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined. Texas Gov. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. Rick Perry, worked to cultivate a wide base of financial support from energy interests, Rottinghaus said. O'Rourke is running in the Democratic primary and facesMichael Cooper, Joy Diaz, Inocencio Barrientez and Rich Wakeland. 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. Texas governor's biggest donors: Energy industry that failed 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. 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. Thanks to our generous supporters, our campaign helped secure Republican victories across the state of Texas this election cycle, he said. 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. 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. Show us with your support. Because Texas doesnt have limits on contribution amounts, rich and powerful people can cut massive checks to campaigns. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. website. In the past two cycles, national Democrats have shown their willingness to pour millions into once-forbidding Texas. While (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 . Still, ORourke does have a few of his own billionaire supporters. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. As Gov. Warren's donation is . The Abbott campaign is eyeing aggressive advertising strategies ahead of the November election. Absent that storm, his contributions would have been different, said Bill Miller, a longtime Texas political consultant and lobbyist. All rights reserved. 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. While summary numbers are reported almost immediately by the Texas Governor Greg Abbott's 2019 reelection inaugural was a 2-day event that included balls, candlelight dinners, barbecues and other VIP events -- costing some $5.3 million for the celebrations. 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. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a 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.