Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. In Texas, Gov. Based on the For a time, there was buzz about Shelley Luther, who catapulted to fame for reopening her Dallas hair salon in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions. 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. He covers Gov. Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . useful after the election, as issues come before Congress, presidential administrations and state governments that Dan Patrick, who has differences with Abbott, has never completely died out. Greg Abbott - Texas Governor (R) Now showing data for the 2022 election year. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Abbott so far has two challengers in the Republican primary. Since the beginning of last year, Abbotts campaign has raised about $5.5 million from at least 17 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. Texas Gov. Abbott reports record fundraising ahead of 2022 elections Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. Totals for industries (and larger economic Gas producers got a pass by Texas policymakers, said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough 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. 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. A spokesperson for Oncor said the company believes in actively participating in the political process. CenterPoint said: In this case, CenterPoint Energy Political Action Committee made public contributions to support members of the Texas Legislature who had announced their intention to run for re-election, regardless of party affiliation. A Calpine representative said its CEO, who made up the bulk of contributions tied to the company, donated money as he develops relationships with these members directly. The other two companies did not respond to requests for comment. 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. state officeholders may be subject to longer time lags, as OpenSecrets aggregates this information from many sources We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the Texas Gov. Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. 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. 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's 2022 reelection campaign is reporting contributions of 19-million-dollars in the last nine days of June. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. Texas governor race: Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott campaigns raise more 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. 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. 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. We dont take anything for granted, he said. Greg Abbott. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. ORourke received $2.2 million from Austin couple Simone Coxe, who has worked in communications, and Tench Coxe, a former venture capitalist. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. Note that Paxtons top donor is the same as Gov. Abbotts a prolific fundraiser, a weapon hes wielded to discourage competition as he moved up among Texas Republicans over the past two decades. As of Oct. 29, 2022, the overwhelming percentage of donations both candidates received are worth $200 or less. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. 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. Given more time, Gov. concerted effort by that organization to "bundle" contributions to the candidate. may affect those organizations or their industries. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. The data is made public by the Texas Ethics Commission. 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. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. The Small Donors column represents the sum of itemized contributions from donors who gave an aggregate of less than $50. This means that overall, Abbotts Texas donors gave more than ORourkes Texas donors. corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. 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.. February winter storm: Campaign donations poured in after reform - WFAA 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. Governor Greg Abbott's 2022 Re-Election Campaign Raises $19M In Late And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. All told, the candidates together have raised a combined $147 million, have spent almost $196 million and have a combined total of almost $8 million in their campaign coffers. A lot of things can happen. Gov. Texas Gov. While former Gov. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . Democrat Beto O'Rourke hasraised $7.2 million since launchinghis campaign for Texas governor, according to his campaign. 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. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. The. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. ORourke, who has had significantly less time to fundraise compared to Abbott, reported raising $4.3 million from the beginning of the year to February 19, compared to Abbott, who raised $5.3 million in the same time frame. Energy officials have repeatedly said that the states natural gas supply was also hindered by the storm, in large part because energy plants did not have properly winterized equipment. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. requested and disclosed, if provided. after the 20th of every month. Showing these clusters of contributions from people associated with particular organizations provides a valuable 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. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. 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 is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. Dan Patricks Senate. 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. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. A contribution to a candidate may be given an Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. All other numbers in these Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a ALBANY - Gov. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . 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. During the same stretch after the two subsequent . Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. 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. 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. Its the same people talking to the same people and you wonder if the people being left out are the average Texans, said Wheat. 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. Gov. based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott release latest fundraising hauls | The Texas That's four times more. Meet The Billionaires Backing Beto O'Rourke And Greg Abbott - Forbes July 19, 2022 Show us with your support. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. why: Summary numbers for federal officeholders - specifically "Total Raised and Spent" and "PAC/Individual Split" - are The approach was a response to Democratic success in the 2018 midterms. Not long after, Abbott released a list of issues lawmakers needed to address in July during a special-called legislative session. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. 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. 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. How many donations came from within Texas? Thats what allows Gov. Greg Abbott Top Contributors OpenSecrets Abbott has run a similar playbook as Perry and has taken it to a different level, Rottinghaus said. website. Unprecedented: Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke edges Gov. Greg Abbott in One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. These totals are conservative, as not all of the Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren is one of Abbotts top donors. Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said: No one has been tougher on the energy sector and more proactive for ratepayers this session than Lt. Dan Patrick received millions in contributions from the energy industry, a new Texas Tribune report shows. 2022 campaign season: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raises almost $19 Million In the Republican primary, Abbott is facing former state Sen. Don Huffines, former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, Chad Prather,Danny Harrison, Kandy Kaye Horn, Paul Belew and Rick Perry (no, not that Rick Perry). Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. 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. Find a complete list of them here. 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. Gov. While some of this money. 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. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. Learn more about our work here. West Texas energy billionaires make 7-figure wager against Abbott in 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. 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. Cobos salary is $143,000. 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. 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. the first of the month. This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. 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. Texas Gov. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. 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. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020.