Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. Walker, a non-voting member of ERCOTs board, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. 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. 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. ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. sectors) can be seen in each candidate and race profile, and in the Industry Profile section of the OpenSecrets 4 min read. That has resulted in both candidates receiving a large number of donations from outside Texas. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. 2023 www.statesman.com. Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. Democrats have not won a statewide office in three decades, but incumbent Republican Ken Paxton is deemed vulnerable because of his2015 felony indictment for securities fraudand unrelated accusations of corruption that his top aides took to the FBIin late 2020. King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. 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. 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. His campaign accepted more than $12 million in political contributions from oil and gas companies and executives this election cycle. 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. 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. Florida Gov. by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo 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. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 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. 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. Heres how they compare. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. 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.. Abbotts biggest individual donors have always come from the energy industry, and this time is no exception, with energy tycoons making up 40% of his top 10 donors. But an analysis of state campaign finance records by the KSAT 12 Defenders shows three current members of ERCOTs board have contributed thousands to Abbotts campaigns, with some of the funds dating back to his days as Texas Attorney General. 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. In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. The totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. In late June, it announced an $8.15 million digital media advertising buy, $8.8 million for TV and radio ads, and $2.75 million for Spanish media ads across platforms. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. 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. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. He did not respond to a request for comment. 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. 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. 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. Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. 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. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. Dan Patricks Senate. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. Learn more. Rene Cross of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs, though, said Abbotts most vulnerable to a test by a younger Democrat such as ORourke or the Castro brothers of San Antonio, Julin and Joaquin. Recession. 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.. A fifth-generation Texan, Bob earned a bachelors degree from Harvard University. 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. Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. useful after the election, as issues come before Congress, presidential administrations and state governments that 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. Gov. 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. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. At the state level, He was not appointed by Abbott and did not return a call for comment. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. His team called the haul a "record-breaking amount" and said "no Democratic campaign in the states history has raised more money during the opening days of their race.". A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. The epic Texas freeze fueled a surge of campaign cash, with the war chest of Gov. In cases where two or more people from the same family contributed, the income-earner's occupation/employer is Abbott raised more in smaller cities and rural areas. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Show us with your support. by Carla Astudillo, Caroline Covington and Eric Lau In April, Abbott had been ahead of O'Rourke by 11 points. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. In the November race for Texas governor, two prolific fundraisers are vying to be the chief executive of the state. Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's profile. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. Usually, state candidates in Texas get the majority of their donations from Texans. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . 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. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. As a Republican and a Texan, Abbott may have received significant campaign contributions from the NRA. for data entry). Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Get immediate access to organizations and people The figures in federal profiles are taken from databases uploaded by the FEC on the first day of every month. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. 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. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? The data presented here is sourced from the Texas Ethics Commission, which displays campaign finance filings from candidate committees. 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. Those The Bush familys origin story in Texas revolves around oil and gas, and money from the industry has funded much of the familys political fortunes in the state ever since they arrived in West Texas. Do you value our journalism? Patrick is in the middle of a131-stop bus tour across Texas, while Collier continues totout his alliances with moderateRepublicans who are endorsing him over the incumbent. 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. 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. 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. These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. Robert T. Garrett, Austin Bureau Chief. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. 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. 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). reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. 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. Where available, OpenSecrets uses that employer/occupation information to identify the donor's economic interest. Texas Gov. Its the same people talking to the same people and you wonder if the people being left out are the average Texans, said Wheat. His chemical logistics company serves the oil and gas industry, among others. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. UHs Cross said Abbott actually was straddling various state GOP factions long before 2020 and will continue to do so. Among the state lawmakers Karnei has contributed to are representatives Shelby Slawson, Phil King and Matt Shaheen, all Republican members of the committee now charged with investigating ERCOT. Texas Gov. Abbott said 81% of his donors were from Texas. Both are from Dallas. Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. 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. However, the patterns of contributions provide critical information for Totals for industries (and larger economic 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. Not long after, Abbott released a list of issues lawmakers needed to address in July during a special-called legislative session. website. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? Warren's company Energy Transfer declined to comment on his behalf. 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.. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. Texas Gov. On the expenditures side, Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. Kolten Parker is digital executive producer at KSAT. 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. Stressing a different approach, the O'Rourke campaign embarks Tuesday on a 49-day campaign tour through Texas that will involve driving more than 5,600 miles. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action July 19, 2022 Connect with needs and opportunities from. 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. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. 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.. have always come from the energy industry, recently acquired by Roskis Majestic Realty. As Gov. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. 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.

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