Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. The PUC has largely avoided blame for last weeks power issues, so far, despite providing oversight to ERCOT. 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 . 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. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. 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. Here's how much. But Luthers star appears to have dimmed after she lost a special election for state Senate last month. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. 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. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. Still, ORourke does have a few of his own billionaire supporters. 20005. While (Gov. Cobos salary is $143,000. If enough contributions came in from people connected Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. Warren's donation is . For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. Find a complete list of them here. individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. 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. 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. 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 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 . These are the latest numbers ahead of Election Day. 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. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. And talk of a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. For that 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. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. requested and disclosed, if provided. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. Abbott is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. In the past two cycles, national Democrats have shown their willingness to pour millions into once-forbidding Texas. 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. Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. Texas Gov. The data is from the period between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 29, 2022. 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 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. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. 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. 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.. Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. While former Gov. DC 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. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. contributor provides it. 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. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Thats what allows Gov. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. As Gov. Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. 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. 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. with that same employer, the organization's name winds up on the Top Contributors list. Dan Patricks Senate. 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. Both are from Dallas. 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. Oliver told KSAT that he was also unaware of any recent criticism levied toward ERCOT by Abbott. ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. The lag times vary for state officeholder data. 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. Where available, OpenSecrets uses that employer/occupation information to identify the donor's economic interest. Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. Abbott and ORourke are not the only gubernatorial candidates who have received backing from local Texas billionaires. Last year, Abbott wouldve raised more if hed been able to hold in-person fundraisers and hadnt been busy as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Carney said. During that week, Abbott assured Texans the grid was in better shape than ever. 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. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. 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. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. 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. This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. 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. In Texas, Gov. Warren's company Energy Transfer declined to comment on his behalf. Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. motivation for each individual giver. Small donors make up almost half of the total amount ORourke raised. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions. Unsurprisingly, Gov. Other billionaires with major oil and gas interests who are backing Abbott include Nancy Kinder, the wife of Kinder Morgan cofounder Richard Kinder; Hilcorp cofounder Jeff Hildebrand; Chief Oil & Gas founder Trevor Rees-Jones; Hunt Oil heir Ray Lee Hunt and Western Refining founder Paul Foster, who Abbott appointed to run the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in April last year. Abbott'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. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. Carney, the Abbott adviser, dismissed talk that ORourke could pose a threat. Kolten Parker, Digital Executive Producer. Do you value our journalism? 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. In 2017, Abbott appointed her to lead the PUC, where she makes a $200,000 salary. In the November race for Texas governor, two prolific fundraisers are vying to be the chief executive of the state. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . Get immediate access to organizations and people As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. About 26% of Patricks contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. 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. Texas Gov. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. 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. Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. Greg Abbott - Texas Governor (R) Now showing data for the 2022 election year. Stressing a different approach, the O'Rourke campaign embarks Tuesday on a 49-day campaign tour through Texas that will involve driving more than 5,600 miles. 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. Gov. 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. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit OpenSecrets. Abbott has run a similar playbook as Perry and has taken it to a different level, Rottinghaus said. after the 20th of every month. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, chair of the powerful state affairs committee in the House, was among those lawmakers. 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. and unique way of understanding where candidates are getting their financial support. Bank, his wife Matilda lists "Homemaker" and 12-year old Tammy shows up as "Student," OpenSecrets would identify all As of Oct. 29, 2022, Abbott received a greater percentage of his money from Texas donors compared with ORourke. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. 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. 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. 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. website. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. A Texas Politics Project July poll indicates the race for Texas governor is tightening. His campaign accepted more than $12 million in political contributions from oil and gas companies and executives this election cycle. 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. Recession. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. Knowing those groups is also Of the trio, King received the most contributions from Karnei by far: five between 2004 and 2016 totaling $475, according to TEC records. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. voters, researchers and others. 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. 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 . As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Totals for industries (and larger economic Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined. July 19, 2022 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. Separate from discussion of the virus outbreak, some have wondered whether Houston-area GOP congressman Dan Crenshaw, whos seen nationally as a Republican comer, might jump into a race against Abbott. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. 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. Learn more about our work here. The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . Greg Abbott. Texas Gov. Abbotts roster of rich donors is full of Texas Republicans with oil interestssome of who supported Trump ahead of the 2020 election. The figures in federal profiles are taken from databases uploaded by the FEC on the first day of every month. 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 organizations that donated the most money to Abbott this reporting period have previously given to the governor. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. 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. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources These totals are conservative, as not all of the Abbott.. useful after the election, as issues come before Congress, presidential administrations and state governments that 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 Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. More: Ahead of primary, Gov. How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. 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. 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. First, we apply a code to the contribution, identifying the industry. Oil and gas executives S. Javaid Anwar and Gary Martin, in particular, have been regular contributors to Abbott for years. 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. 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. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. 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. Show us with your support. In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. Texas Gov. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. More:Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke. As CNBC reported, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans in a speech on. AUSTIN Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. How many donations came from within Texas? He covers Gov. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. Abbott is a member of the Republican Party and first assumed office in 2015. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? Washington, All other numbers in these In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. Note that Paxtons top donor is the same as Gov. 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. 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. The power grid was not included. Gov. parties and political committees request employer information from contributors and publicly report it when the 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 raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. At the state level, ALBANY - Gov. The approach was a response to Democratic success in the 2018 midterms. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. 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.

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