Texas Gov. Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. ORourkes top donors come from industries including finance, media and philanthropy. OpenSecrets aggregates state data from many sources and formats. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. Speaking of donations he received from Texans in all 254 counties, Abbott said that with such help we will continue to spread the messages of freedom and liberty to every corner of the Lone Star State.. 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. 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. Gas producers got a pass by Texas policymakers, said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. Find a complete list of them here. why: Summary numbers for federal officeholders - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. 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. To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. 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. Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. 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 Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. 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. disclosures vary. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. 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. That is why Congress and many states have mandated that candidates, political 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. Under federal law, all contributions over $200 must be itemized and the donor's occupation and employer must be Cobos was appointed chief executive and public counsel of the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) by Abbott in March 2019, three months after donating $1,050 to Abbotts campaign, state contribution records show. by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. 4 min read. Greg Abbott - Texas Governor (R) Now showing data for the 2022 election year. FEC and listed quickly on OpenSecrets processing and analyzing the detailed records takes much longer. Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. 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. may affect those organizations or their industries. 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. 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. Gov. Gov. These totals are conservative, as not all of the 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. 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. Abbotts: Oil mogul Javaid S. Anwar of Midland had given Abbott nearly $2.5 millionas well as $200,000 to Paxton. In the past two cycles, national Democrats have shown their willingness to pour millions into once-forbidding Texas. 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. About 26% of Patricks contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. Political strife: The Texas Legislatures toughest 2021 challenges, A day after powerful thunderstorms, North Texas surveys the damage, 3 children killed, 2 wounded at Ellis County home; suspect in custody, How a Texas districts reaction to school shooting fears highlights discipline concerns, Carrollton man advertised pills on social media to entice teens to buy fentanyl, feds say. Texas Gov. Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. The. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. Earlier, he was a statehouse reporter for three newspapers, including the Dallas Times Herald. Thanks to our generous supporters, our campaign helped secure Republican victories across the state of Texas this election cycle, he said. Bank, his wife Matilda lists "Homemaker" and 12-year old Tammy shows up as "Student," OpenSecrets would identify all 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. As of February 19, Abbotts committee reported that it had about $50 million in cash on hand. Greg Abbott. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. He was not appointed by Abbott and did not return a call for comment. 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. Do you value our journalism? That's four times more. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 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. Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren is one of Abbotts top donors. 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.. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. Unsurprisingly, Gov. assigned to all non-wage earning family members. Texas Gov. With Democrat Joe Biden about to move into the White House and national Republicans in disarray over President Donald Trumps norm-shattering behavior in recent weeks, a big bankroll is about the only certainty Abbott can rely on. In Texas, Gov. committee AND the candidate has received money from PACs representing that same ideological interest. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. Florida Gov. 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. More:Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke. 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. Gov. requested and disclosed, if provided. He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Kolten Parker is digital executive producer at KSAT. Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. 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 . 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The amount of money the senator fundraised from energy interests jumped from $1,000 to $44,500, the Tribune found. Greg Abbott, gives an update on an investigation into the massacre in Uvalde, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit OpenSecrets. We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the Therell be a general election opponent, and [Democrats] will put a lot of effort in and theyll raise a lot of money.. Texas Gov. Wed love to run against him, he said of ORourke, a former El Paso congressman who gave U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz a scare in 2018. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. Abbott candidate committee made to another committee affiliated with the governor. Abbott and ORourke are not the only gubernatorial candidates who have received backing from local Texas billionaires. 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. 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. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. Democrat Beto O'Rourke has raised $7.2 million since launching his campaign for Texas governor . The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. Given more time, Gov. "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. contributor provides it. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. 2:28. The figures in federal profiles are taken from databases uploaded by the FEC on the first day of every month. Democrat Beto O'Rourke hasraised $7.2 million since launchinghis campaign for Texas governor, according to his campaign. voters, researchers and others. Rick Perry, worked to cultivate a wide base of financial support from energy interests, Rottinghaus said. 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. Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. Tickets are on sale now for this multi-day celebration of big, bold ideas about politics, public policy and the days news, curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. The data is from the period between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 29, 2022. 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. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. Those Gov. after the 20th of every month. Its the same people talking to the same people and you wonder if the people being left out are the average Texans, said Wheat. 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. 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. 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 past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . (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.). Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. for data entry). Show us with your support. Other lawmakers who saw some of the largest spikes in funding from the energy industry were those who authored the power grid legislation and chaired the committees that heard the bills. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. But were looking at almost two years until our election. Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. 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. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. Small donors make up almost half of the total amount ORourke raised. Crenshaw, 36, is almost as renowned a fundraiser as Abbott, 63. Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Dan Patrick, who has differences with Abbott, has never completely died out. Both are from Dallas. 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. As of Oct. 29, 2022, Abbott received a greater percentage of his money from Texas donors compared with ORourke. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. 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. available information, the donor is given an economic code. 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. While some of this money. Carney, the Abbott adviser, dismissed talk that ORourke could pose a threat. 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. 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. 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. 2023 www.statesman.com. Gov. Greg Abbott - Governor of Texas "In Texas, anything is possible. 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. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. Since the beginning of last year, Abbotts campaign has raised about $5.5 million from at least 17 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. 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. While (Gov. databases are only as current as the FEC has been able to compile by that date (see the note above about lag times As of Oct. 29, 2022, the overwhelming percentage of donations both candidates received are worth $200 or less. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. and unique way of understanding where candidates are getting their financial support. But none has reaped campaign contributions on the scale of Abbott, who in six years in office has raised more than $150 million from donors, more than any governor in U.S. history. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. Through Nov. 30, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million. Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. Knowing those groups is also OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after 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. 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. 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. For the second straight reporting period, O'Rourke's campaign said they brought in more money than incumbent Republican Gov. 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. 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. The Stockyards Station Hotel, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty, donated over $382,000 in event expenses while HillCo PAC, an Austin lobbyist firm, donated a total of $336,000. 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. Recession. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the . 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. The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. 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. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. Kathy Hochul raked in big campaign bucks over the last six months to the tune of $21.9 million from a well of donors who also used to give generously to disgraced ex-Gov.. Democrat Mike Collier gets his rematch with incumbent Lt. Gov. That has resulted in both candidates receiving a large number of donations from outside Texas. 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. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. The state of Texas imposes no limits on how much money you can give to your local representative, your senator, your governor, said Wheat. For that Except for the Revolving Door section, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License by OpenSecrets.org. Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke, according to January campaign finance reports, Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Here is how fundraising by Texas Gov. 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. 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. 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. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. ORourke received $2.2 million from Austin couple Simone Coxe, who has worked in communications, and Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. 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. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. 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. All other numbers in these During the same stretch after the two subsequent . Cobos salary is $143,000. Had the bill passed, Walker would not be running the PUC. More: Ahead of primary, Gov. Billionaire money manager Ken Fisher, who lives in Dallas, donated $25,000 to Abbotts campaign, plus $100,000 to the Defend Texas PAC. Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. In Texas, Gov. individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . While former Gov. 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. 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. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions. 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. Dan Patricks Senate. First, we apply a code to the contribution, identifying the industry. Based on the 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. In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. A fifth-generation Texan, Bob earned a bachelors degree from Harvard University.