A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. Gov. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. As Gov. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. Data for State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, chair of the powerful state affairs committee in the House, was among those lawmakers. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. 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. 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. ALBANY - Gov. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. 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. Where available, OpenSecrets uses that employer/occupation information to identify the donor's economic interest. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed SB 923, delivering on Abbott's reelection campaign goal to deny undocumented children access to public education unless the . Here is how fundraising by Texas Gov. ORourkes top donors come from industries including finance, media and philanthropy. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. 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. This is a BETA experience. He was not appointed by Abbott and did not return a call for comment. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. 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. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. 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. That's four times more. Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. Texas has no limits on campaign contributions. by Carla Astudillo, Caroline Covington and Eric Lau As a Republican and a Texan, Abbott may have received significant campaign contributions from the NRA. AUSTIN Gov. A Crenshaw aide, though, said hes not thinking about running for governor. 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. As Gov. Texas is already guaranteed record-setting spendingfor a governor's race this year, and the numbers keep climbing. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. Greg Abbott - Governor of Texas "In Texas, anything is possible. 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. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. requested and disclosed, if provided. 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. 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. individual contributions have yet been classified by OpenSecrets. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Democrat Mike Collier gets his rematch with incumbent Lt. Gov. There is also a time lag in posting the information. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Abbott's campaign stressed that since the start of 2021, the two-term Republican incumbent "has raised nearly $95 million from more than 418,000 donations." Since O'Rourke announced his. Warren's company Energy Transfer declined to comment on his behalf. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. 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. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. Nearly half (45%) of the 1,200 Texas voters who participated in the poll indicated support for Abbott while 39% showed support for O'Rourke. How many donations came from within Texas? As of February 19, Abbotts committee reported that it had about $50 million in cash on hand. For that 4 min read. The Abbott campaign is eyeing aggressive advertising strategies ahead of the November election. 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. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources 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. 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. 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. 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. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. How much have the candidates raised so far? Karnei, the CEO of a Central Texas power cooperative, is an abounding donor to politicians and energy-related political action committees, campaign finance records show. While former Gov. While some of this money. Get immediate access to organizations and people Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. 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. 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. 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. 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.. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. 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. 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 Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. He did not respond to a request for comment. Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. Given more time, Gov. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Abbott is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. 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. Under federal law, all contributions over $200 must be itemized and the donor's occupation and employer must be 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. Carney, the Abbott adviser, dismissed talk that ORourke could pose a threat. by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. Kolten Parker, Digital Executive Producer. Find a complete list of them here. 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. 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. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. Warren's donation is . Unsurprisingly, Gov. 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. FEC and listed quickly on OpenSecrets processing and analyzing the detailed records takes much longer. In addition, both Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC and Q-PAC, which are tied to billionaire Dan Friedkin and Geoffrey Raynor, respectively, have also donated to Abbott in the past. 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.. Using previous figures reported by the Texas Ethics Commission, O'Rourke has now raised more than $65 million in what has become one of America's most expensive races of the 2022 midterms. 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. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. Greg Abbott's 2022 reelection campaign is reporting contributions of 19-million-dollars in the last nine days of June. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the 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. Second, we standardize the name of the donor's employer. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. The lag times vary for state officeholder data. 20005. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. 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.. website. Of the trio, King received the most contributions from Karnei by far: five between 2004 and 2016 totaling $475, according to TEC records. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. assigned to all non-wage earning family members. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180. Do you value our journalism? OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after 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. The money came from159,000 total contributions with an average contribution of roughly $119, his campaign said Tuesday. for data entry). Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . 2023 www.statesman.com. He covers Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. On the expenditures side, Gov. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. 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. 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. 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. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to Friday press releases from both of the campaigns. Organizations like political action committees or industry associations can also give directly to candidate campaigns. voters, researchers and others. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. In Texas, Gov. Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. 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. But were looking at almost two years until our election. 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. 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. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name, $2 million raised during the first 24 hours, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 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. 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. Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. 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. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment disclosures vary. Greg Abbott said his campaign raised nearly $19 million in the last six months of 2021, a total that brought his campaign war chest to a staggering $65 million in December. His campaign accepted more than $12 million in political contributions from oil and gas companies and executives this election cycle. the Coronavirus crisis. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . the first of the month. A contribution to a candidate may be given an corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. Find a complete list of them here. 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. 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. In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. 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. why: Summary numbers for federal officeholders - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are Washington, The warnings led to renewed calls for the Legislature to take more urgent action to fix the power grid. The Past 30 Days column represents the last 30 days of donations, starting with the date of the most recent contribution for that race. 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. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren is one of Abbotts top donors. 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. The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. Greg Abbott - Texas Governor (R) Now showing data for the 2022 election year. and formats. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment 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 . 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. Abbott raised more in smaller cities and rural areas. In the past two cycles, national Democrats have shown their willingness to pour millions into once-forbidding Texas. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. And talk of a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. 2:28. Abbotts roster of rich donors is full of Texas Republicans with oil interestssome of who supported Trump ahead of the 2020 election. Abbott candidate committee made to another committee affiliated with the governor. 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. Oliver told KSAT that he was also unaware of any recent criticism levied toward ERCOT by Abbott. 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. parties and political committees request employer information from contributors and publicly report it when the after the 20th of every month. Gov. Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. 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. 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.