Connect with needs and opportunities from. This is up from 19% after the 2019 session. While some of this money. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? Texas Gov. interest group. 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. Most of Patricks energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. 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. may affect those organizations or their industries. Abbott raises $19 million, O'Rourke $7.2 million in race for governor Abbotts a prolific fundraiser, a weapon hes wielded to discourage competition as he moved up among Texas Republicans over the past two decades. Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. 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. The approach was a response to Democratic success in the 2018 midterms. He did not respond to a request for comment. All rights reserved. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. The organizations that donated the most money to Abbott this reporting period have previously given to the governor. The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. Second, we standardize the name of the donor's employer. The power grid was not included. As Gov. Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. A Texas Politics Project July poll indicates the race for Texas governor is tightening. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. Democrat Beto O'Rourke announced he's running for governor of Texas and says he'll move past divisive politics and bring the state together. 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. 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. A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. Cobos salary is $143,000. The oil and gas industry was Abbotts top contributor, accounting for 19% of all funds raised, according to the report. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. The lag times vary for state officeholder data. Texas Gov. The Small Donors column represents the sum of itemized contributions from donors who gave an aggregate of less than $50. 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. 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. He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott release latest fundraising hauls | The Texas The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. Greg Abbott - Wikipedia Abbott's Chart-Topping Donors for 2020 - Transparency USA That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. motivation for each individual giver. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Just over 40% of the sum of ORourkes donations came from out-of-state donors, compared with 17% of Abbotts. 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. In Texas, Gov. ORourkes top donors come from industries including finance, media and philanthropy. O'Rourke did not say how much money his campaign has on hand -- or how much it has spent -- while teasing his fundraising numbers before filing his latest campaign finance report. OpenSecrets aggregates state data from many sources and formats. Abbott said 81% of his donors were from Texas. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined. 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. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Except for the Revolving Door section, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License by OpenSecrets.org. requested and disclosed, if provided. Kolten Parker is digital executive producer at KSAT. How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? 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 O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. Governor Greg Abbott's 2022 Re-Election Campaign Raises $19M In Late "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. About 26% of Patricks contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. 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. 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. 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. have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. Dan Patricks Senate. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National 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. 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. 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. While summary numbers are reported almost immediately by the Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. 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. by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo For permission to reprint for commercial uses, 2022 campaign contributions: Who's backing Texas political candidates The remaining figures - based on detailed contribution data - are updated by OpenSecrets However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. parties and political committees request employer information from contributors and publicly report it when the First, we apply a code to the contribution, identifying the industry. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and 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. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. Its the same people talking to the same people and you wonder if the people being left out are the average Texans, said Wheat. Tribune: Texas Leaders Raked in Millions After Electric Grid Collapse 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. A contribution to a candidate may be given an While (Gov. 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.. His largest billionaire donor so far is Margot Birmingham Perot, the widow of former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot Sr. Shes given $25,000 to ORourkes campaign since November. 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. Texas Gov. 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. Abbott, other Texas politicians got cash boost from energy industry Texas governor race: Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott campaigns raise more We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the 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. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. 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, gives an update on an investigation into the massacre in Uvalde, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. He has attacked the city of Austin repeatedly for reducing its police budget and repealing a ban on camping in public spaces that had generated thousands of citations to homeless people in the past. However, Democratic challenger Beto ORourke reported raising $27.6 million from late February through June, which is the most a candidate for state office in Texas has ever raised in a single reporting period. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. Warren's company Energy Transfer declined to comment on his behalf. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? The Abbott campaign is eyeing aggressive advertising strategies ahead of the November election. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's profile. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. 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. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the gubernatorial primary: current Gov. Through Nov. 30, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million. contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. ORourke received $2.2 million from Austin couple Simone Coxe, who has worked in communications, and Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist. 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. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. With Democrat Joe Biden about to move into the White House and national Republicans in disarray over President Donald Trumps norm-shattering behavior in recent weeks, a big bankroll is about the only certainty Abbott can rely on. Billionaire money manager Ken Fisher, who lives in Dallas, donated $25,000 to Abbotts campaign, plus $100,000 to the Defend Texas PAC. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. Gov. Under federal law, all contributions over $200 must be itemized and the donor's occupation and employer must be There is also a time lag in posting the information. 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. 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. AUSTIN Gov. Had the bill passed, Walker would not be running the PUC. All rights reserved, Texas House Plans to Pass Largest Property Tax Decrease Ever,' Speaker Phelan Says, Texas Republicans to Vote on Resolution That Would Censure Rep. Tony Gonzales, 3 Children Killed, 2 Wounded in Ellis County Home; 1 in Custody: Sheriff, Actor Tom Sizemore, of Saving Private Ryan,' Dies at 61. 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. reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based on detailed records. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. The amount of money the senator fundraised from energy interests jumped from $1,000 to $44,500, the Tribune found. In addition, the top ZIP codes for both candidates are often those where political action committees are based. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. February winter storm: Campaign donations poured in after reform - WFAA employer. why: Summary numbers for federal officeholders - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are Gov. 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. O'Rourke is running in the Democratic primary and facesMichael Cooper, Joy Diaz, Inocencio Barrientez and Rich Wakeland. 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. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. Dan Patrick received millions in contributions from the energy industry, a new Texas Tribune report shows. 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.. 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. Oliver told KSAT that he was also unaware of any recent criticism levied toward ERCOT by Abbott. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . In addition, cryptocurrency CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who gave ORourke $1 million, is under investigation for breaking the states securities law. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Spent $5.3 Million On Reelection Inauguration For that A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Greg Abbott. The top California donors in the Texas governor's race, How the biggest Republican stronghold in Texas could cost Gov. As Gov. On the expenditures side, Gov. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. A lot of things can happen. Texas is already guaranteed record-setting spendingfor a governor's race this year, and the numbers keep climbing. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Florida Gov. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after Greg Abbott's 2022 reelection campaign is reporting contributions of 19-million-dollars in the last nine days of June. individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors. Here's how much. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. after the 20th of every month. 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. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. Governor Abbott represents all Texans, and thats what he takes into account every day as he works on behalf of the Lone Star State, spokeswoman Renae Eze said. All other numbers in these Abbott talks parental empowerment, 'regulatory consistency' to open Crenshaw, 36, is almost as renowned a fundraiser as Abbott, 63. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. 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. Abbott and ORourke are not the only gubernatorial candidates who have received backing from local Texas billionaires. Abbott candidate committee made to another committee affiliated with the governor. We are going to defeat him and ensure Texas finally leads in great jobs, world-class schools, the ability to see a doctor, keeping our kids safe and restoring a womans freedom to make her own decisions about her own body.. Caroline Covington contributed to this story. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. Given more time, Gov. The warnings led to renewed calls for the Legislature to take more urgent action to fix the power grid. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. 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. 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. Greg Abbott hauled in nearly $19 million over nine days and boasted an eye-popping $55 million in the bank as he prepares his campaign for a . Here's concerted effort by that organization to "bundle" contributions to the candidate. Since the beginning of last year, Abbotts campaign has raised about $5.5 million from at least 17 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. 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. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough However, his $7.7 million haul in the first half of 2020 was a nearly 12% decrease from the same phase of his initial term. AUSTIN Gov. useful after the election, as issues come before Congress, presidential administrations and state governments that We dont take anything for granted, he said. Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. 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. These totals are conservative, as not all of the Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. FEC and listed quickly on OpenSecrets processing and analyzing the detailed records takes much longer. How many donations came from within Texas? 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. Texas Gov. 4 min read. Energy Tycoon Kelcy Warren's Gave $1 Million to Greg Abbott contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Gov. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. Texas has no limits on campaign contributions. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to Friday press releases from both of the campaigns. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. 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. (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.). Robert T. Garrett, Austin Bureau Chief. 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. The Republican governor raised 26% more in last years final six months than the $9.1 million he raised in late 2016 the comparable period in his first term. Here's who's donated to Gov. Hochul's $21.9 million war chest Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. 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.