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. 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. Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. 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 . Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. Abbott raised more in smaller cities and rural areas. DC Kolten Parker is digital executive producer at KSAT. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. Abbott so far has two challengers in the Republican primary. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said Wednesday that he expected O'Rourke to have strong fundraising numbers. We dont take anything for granted, he said. The money came from159,000 total contributions with an average contribution of roughly $119, his campaign said Tuesday. 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). 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. However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. Texas Gov. 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. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. If enough contributions came in from people connected Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. 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. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. 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. A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National concerted effort by that organization to "bundle" contributions to the candidate. Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. 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. 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. In cases where two or more people from the same family contributed, the income-earner's occupation/employer is Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. ALBANY - Gov. Texas Gov. Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. Given more time, Gov. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for reelection, influence donor activity. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. But the bill didnt set a hard deadline for when the upgrades need to be complete and it stopped short of detailing how the state would enforce and incentivize the process called weatherization. (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.). Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. 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. George W. Bush was heavily funded by his familys well-established energy network, his successor, former Gov. Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. The data presented here is sourced from the Texas Ethics Commission, which displays campaign finance filings from candidate committees. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. 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. 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. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . 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. Learn more. Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's profile. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. But were looking at almost two years until our election. 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. 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. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. That's four times more. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. profiles for state and federal officeholders are derived from contribution records disclosed in campaign finance Dan Patrick, who has differences with Abbott, has never completely died out. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. the Coronavirus crisis. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. 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. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Most of Patricks energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. 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. A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. 2:28. 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. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. 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. The organizations that donated the most money to Abbott this reporting period have previously given to the governor. ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. 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. 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.. Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. On June 23, Warren cut a check to Abbott's campaign for $1 million, according to the governor's latest campaign finance filing, which covers January through June. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? Show us with your support. Do you value our journalism? State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment disclosures vary. As he preps for 2022, Abbott may steal a page from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who last year tried to hold on to fervent Trump supporters while appealing to more moderate swing voters in the suburbs. The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the . In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. There is also a time lag in posting the information. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. sectors) can be seen in each candidate and race profile, and in the Industry Profile section of the OpenSecrets 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. In the November race for Texas governor, two prolific fundraisers are vying to be the chief executive of the state. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. 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. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Gas producers got a pass by Texas policymakers, said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. useful after the election, as issues come before Congress, presidential administrations and state governments that Washington, 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. Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. First, we apply a code to the contribution, identifying the industry. Over that same short stretch in June, 11 prominent oil industry leaders, including billionaires Kelcy Warren, S. Javaid Anwar and Douglas Scharbauer all three whom could not be reached for comment combined to contribute about $3.2 million to Texas elected officials, up from about $2.2 million over the same period following the previous legislative session in 2019. 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. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . 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. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. 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. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. 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. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. Abbott has run a similar playbook as Perry and has taken it to a different level, Rottinghaus said. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. 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. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. 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. He also received $1.5 million from billionaire George Soros, who is known for backing liberal candidates. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined. The rest of Abbott's campaign contributions for the 2020 election cycle are made up of moderate-to-large donations as well as small-dollar donors. Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. and unique way of understanding where candidates are getting their financial support. 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. Democrat Beto O'Rourke has raised $7.2 million since launching his campaign for Texas governor . Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. 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. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. In addition, cryptocurrency CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who gave ORourke $1 million, is under investigation for breaking the states securities law. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. 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. 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. So although an Abbott campaign news release touted the $19.2 million he raised last year, it was just an 8% increase over the $17.8 million he raised in 2016. That has resulted in both candidates receiving a large number of donations from outside Texas. 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. 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. Those donations have added up, bringing in about $9.7 million for Abbott and $37.8 million for ORourke. by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo While former Gov. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. The data is from the period between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 29, 2022. Carney, the Abbott adviser, dismissed talk that ORourke could pose a threat. requested and disclosed, if provided. 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. Learn more about our work here. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year. 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. and formats. 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. "As we move into the heat of the summer campaign, were well positioned to fund all our campaign efforts, Texans for Greg Abbott Campaign Chairman Gardner Pate said in the Friday release. The amount of money the senator fundraised from energy interests jumped from $1,000 to $44,500, the Tribune found. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. On the expenditures side, Gov. Dozens of donations in quantities like $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 and page after page of $10,000 donations poured in over the course of the election cycle from individuals and PACs alike. Cobos salary is $143,000. may affect those organizations or their industries. OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after by Carla Astudillo, Caroline Covington and Eric Lau Recession. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. assigned to all non-wage earning family members. databases are only as current as the FEC has been able to compile by that date (see the note above about lag times 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. Oil and gas executives S. Javaid Anwar and Gary Martin, in particular, have been regular contributors to Abbott for years. contributor provides it. for data entry). Florida 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 . A spokesperson for Abbott told the Defenders via email, Governor Abbott has made the reform of ERCOT an emergency item and has assured the public we will not leave this session without reforming the entity.. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. 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. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the gubernatorial primary: current Gov. 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. July 19, 2022 in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during While summary numbers are reported almost immediately by the How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? Usually, state candidates in Texas get the majority of their donations from Texans. AUSTIN Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. All told, the candidates together have raised a combined $147 million, have spent almost $196 million and have a combined total of almost $8 million in their campaign coffers. 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 Texas, Gov. A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017 would have prohibited the governor from appointing a political donor to a position if he or she had contributed more than $2,500 in a year. Not long after, Abbott released a list of issues lawmakers needed to address in July during a special-called legislative session. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. Since then, ORourke received four major fundraising bumps: one right after the primary election; one after he confronted Abbott at a press conference following the school shooting in Uvalde in late May; one after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in late June; and one at the end of September, a couple of weeks ahead of the voter registration deadline. But by the end of the legislative session, if Texas top power companies were aggrieved by the way they were treated by the Legislature or any of the new laws passed targeting their industry, they didnt show it. Here's how much. Texas has no limits on campaign contributions. 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. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. 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. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. ORourke received $2.2 million from Austin couple Simone Coxe, who has worked in communications, and Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist. reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. 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.. As of Oct. 29, 2022, the overwhelming percentage of donations both candidates received are worth $200 or less. Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. Overall since 2014, Abbott has received about $30 million from oil, gas and other energy interests, which is about 18% of his $166 million total raised in that time. The power grid was not included. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. 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. Its the same people talking to the same people and you wonder if the people being left out are the average Texans, said Wheat. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to Friday press releases from both of the campaigns. Polling data suggests a large percentage of voters might agree with O'Rourke on increasing abortion access and gun reform. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. 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's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. In other cases, the reason for the 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. 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. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. 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 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren is one of Abbotts top donors.
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