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. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. Earlier, he was a statehouse reporter for three newspapers, including the Dallas Times Herald. While former Gov. 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. 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. 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.. If enough contributions came in from people connected Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. These totals are conservative, as not all of the Abbott and ORourke are not the only gubernatorial candidates who have received backing from local Texas billionaires. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. 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. 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. The money came from159,000 total contributions with an average contribution of roughly $119, his campaign said Tuesday. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. Show us with your support. 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. These are the latest numbers ahead of Election Day. Those ORourke received $2.2 million from Austin couple Simone Coxe, who has worked in communications, and Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist. 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. Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. Unsurprisingly, Gov. 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. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. UHs Cross said Abbott actually was straddling various state GOP factions long before 2020 and will continue to do so. 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. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. 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. 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. Washington, 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. The. 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. Thanks to our generous supporters, our campaign helped secure Republican victories across the state of Texas this election cycle, he said. DC Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. Abbott is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. The remaining figures - based on detailed contribution data - are updated by OpenSecrets reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. A contribution to a candidate may be given an He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. 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. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. the Coronavirus crisis. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. Gov. Greg Abbott, gives an update on an investigation into the massacre in Uvalde, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. There is also a time lag in posting the information. That's four times more. 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. In Texas, Gov. Florida Gov. 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. assigned to all non-wage earning family members. The two-term governor is one of the most prolific GOP fundraisers in the country and had previously reported raising more than $30 million through the first half of the year and said Tuesday his campaign has now raised $95 million during the current election cycle from more than 418,000 contributors. Carney, the Abbott adviser, dismissed talk that ORourke could pose a threat. The approach was a response to Democratic success in the 2018 midterms. Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. OpenSecrets aggregates state data from many sources and formats. We will secure the future of Texas." Email * Zip Code * 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. 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. Texas Gov. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. interest group. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. A lot of things can happen. He also received $1.5 million from billionaire George Soros, who is known for backing liberal candidates. In other cases, the reason for the Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . Heres how they compare. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. 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. 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 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. During the same stretch after the two subsequent . If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. 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. How much have the candidates raised so far? Given more time, Gov. The tour, which starts in O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso has scheduled 70 public events in 65 counties, including in many areas that historically have preferred Republican candidates. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. Learn more. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. 20005. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. As of Oct. 29, 2022, the overwhelming percentage of donations both candidates received are worth $200 or less. At the state level, Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . 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. AUSTIN Gov. Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. 2023 www.statesman.com. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. Donors who give more than $200 to any federal candidate, PAC or party committee must list their occupation and have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. 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. Usually, state candidates in Texas get the majority of their donations from Texans. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. Data for King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. 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. 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. Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. 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. Bolstered by his record-breaking figures over the past few months, ORourke has raised almost $6 million more than Abbott as of Oct. 29, 2022. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. During that time same time period, Abbott's campaign said the two-term governor raised just under $25 million but didn't specify down to the decimal point. 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. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. Robert T. Garrett, Austin Bureau Chief. reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based on detailed records. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. More than a quarter of Hancocks contributions in June came from energy interests, about $53,500 the most he has ever received in a post-legislative session period. Both are from Dallas. Billionaire money manager Ken Fisher, who lives in Dallas, donated $25,000 to Abbotts campaign, plus $100,000 to the Defend Texas PAC. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. after the 20th of every month. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. Organizations like political action committees or industry associations can also give directly to candidate campaigns. The data is made public by the Texas Ethics Commission. To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. 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. Thats what allows Gov. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. 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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. 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 Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the gubernatorial primary: current Gov. He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's profile. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a 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 . 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. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. Abbotts a prolific fundraiser, a weapon hes wielded to discourage competition as he moved up among Texas Republicans over the past two decades. contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. 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.. in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Texas Ethics Commission, the governor received $44,778,653 in total contributions and spent $37,930,300 between January 1, 2021 and February 19, 2022.