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. Gov. The data is from the period between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 29, 2022. individual contributions have yet been classified by OpenSecrets. OpenSecrets aggregates state data from many sources and formats. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. On his first day in the gubernatorial race in November 2021, ORourke received donations worth a total of $1.7 million from his Powered by People PAC, which has been raising money since 2019 to boost Texas Democrats. 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. Dan Patrick, she lost a special election for state Senate last month, Greg Abbott confronts coronavirus as stronger governor than Texas had 50 years ago, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million, Dark alley no more: This time, Texas Republicans were ready for the Democrats, Pandemic. 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. 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. 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. Washington, 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. The warnings led to renewed calls for the Legislature to take more urgent action to fix the power grid. Sign up for our newsletter to track moneys influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. According to its website, OPUC represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers, as a class, in utility proceedings in Texas. 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. 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. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions. OpenSecrets A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 857-0044 INFO: [email protected] contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. Unsurprisingly, Gov. 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. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. His chemical logistics company serves the oil and gas industry, among others. For the second straight reporting period, O'Rourke's campaign said they brought in more money than incumbent Republican Gov. 2023 www.statesman.com. grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. While some of this money. Of the trio, King received the most contributions from Karnei by far: five between 2004 and 2016 totaling $475, according to TEC records. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. 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. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. and formats. 2:28. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. At the state level, However, her son, H. Ross Perot Jr., who is also a billionaire, has given $500,000 to Abbotts campaign. Democrat Beto O'Rourke has raised $7.2 million since launching his campaign for Texas governor . Abbott so far has two challengers in the Republican primary. How many donations came from within Texas? Texas Gov. A PUC spokesman instead sent the following statement: Dillon, responding on Chairman Walkers behalf as shes still fully engaged in issues related to the winter storm related grid event. 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. Florida Gov. Bank, his wife Matilda lists "Homemaker" and 12-year old Tammy shows up as "Student," OpenSecrets would identify all The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. parties and political committees request employer information from contributors and publicly report it when the 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. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. 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. We will secure the future of Texas." Email * Zip Code * 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. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. 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. Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. requested and disclosed, if provided. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. Both are from Dallas. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. 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. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. He helped raised $54 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates in other states, Carney said. Those donations have added up, bringing in about $9.7 million for Abbott and $37.8 million for ORourke. 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. voters, researchers and others. Gov. 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.. Dan Patrick, who has differences with Abbott, has never completely died out. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. assigned to all non-wage earning family members. Those Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? 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 . Some of the state data included errors in the address field; these records were corrected when possible such as when the donors address was available elsewhere in the data set and omitted from the location-based calculations when not. Had the bill passed, Walker would not be running the PUC. Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race, Ahead of primary, Gov. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. 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. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. 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. Abbott.. The lag times vary for state officeholder data. This is a BETA experience. 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. In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. 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. 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. the Coronavirus crisis. "The nearly 113,000 contributions illustrates that Gov. 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. Based on the 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. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. 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 . Because Texas doesnt have limits on contribution amounts, rich and powerful people can cut massive checks to campaigns. His campaign accepted more than $12 million in political contributions from oil and gas companies and executives this election cycle. 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. The Small Donors column represents the sum of itemized contributions from donors who gave an aggregate of less than $50. 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. The remaining figures - based on detailed contribution data - are updated by OpenSecrets Find a complete list of them here. American Airlines, flight attendants file for mediation during contract negotiations, New Uptown office tower lands second major lease, Years after North Texas bid for Amazons second headquarters, retail giant halts plan, Mesquite to become the site of new 2,500-home community, North Texas builders see influx of activity in new year, but challenges persist, Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving tandem clicks with joint 40-point displays in Mavs win vs. 76ers, Dallas Cowboys focused on adding another dynamic offensive weapon, Ex-Cowboys OC Kellen Moore opens up on Dallas departure, shows gratitude for Mike McCarthy, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, 12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants that have closed in 2023. 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. Greg Abbott. While (Gov. 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. 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. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. Do you value our journalism? Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. Billionaire money manager Ken Fisher, who lives in Dallas, donated $25,000 to Abbotts campaign, plus $100,000 to the Defend Texas PAC. 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. Rick Perry, worked to cultivate a wide base of financial support from energy interests, Rottinghaus said. 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. 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. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after Just over 40% of the sum of ORourkes donations came from out-of-state donors, compared with 17% of Abbotts. Texas Gov. In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. More:Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke. corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. 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. 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. 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. 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. Gov. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment disclosures vary. The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. 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. Organizations like political action committees or industry associations can also give directly to candidate campaigns. Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. available information, the donor is given an economic code. In the November race for Texas governor, two prolific fundraisers are vying to be the chief executive of the state. 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. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. Texas Gov. 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. Gov. Here's for data entry). 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.. The Defenders sent Oliver quotes from a Feb. 18 press conference during which Abbott said, ERCOT failed on each of these measures that they said they had undertaken. Texas Gov. why: Summary numbers for federal officeholders - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. That's four times more. ORourke received about 391,496 individual donations from outside the state, while Abbott received roughly 109,493. 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. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. 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. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to Friday press releases from both of the campaigns. 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. 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. 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. interest group. 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. 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. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources In Texas, Gov. Although individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, in some cases 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 February 19, Abbotts committee reported that it had about $50 million in cash on hand. 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. The figures in federal profiles are taken from databases uploaded by the FEC on the first day of every month. 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.. Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. We dont take anything for granted, he said. The totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Not long after, Abbott released a list of issues lawmakers needed to address in July during a special-called legislative session. 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. In addition, the top ZIP codes for both candidates are often those where political action committees are based. Texas Governor Greg Abbott's 2019 reelection inaugural was a 2-day event that included balls, candlelight dinners, barbecues and other VIP events -- costing some $5.3 million for the celebrations. As Gov. In cases where two or more people from the same family contributed, the income-earner's occupation/employer is ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. 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 and Lt. Gov. 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. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the gubernatorial primary: current Gov. Kolten Parker, Digital Executive Producer. 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. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. 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. That is why Congress and many states have mandated that candidates, political Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. Abbott candidate committee made to another committee affiliated with the governor. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. 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. Therell be a general election opponent, and [Democrats] will put a lot of effort in and theyll raise a lot of money.. Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Gov. Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. 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. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed.