Abbott, who has held a commanding lead in cash on hand during the race, touts $46 million in his campaign coffers. Abbott his job, run a more aggressive and public-facing campaign, pushing the states politics to the right, 2015 felony indictment for securities fraud. 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 . interest group. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. 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. 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. The top California donors in the Texas governor's race, How the biggest Republican stronghold in Texas could cost Gov. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. July 19, 2022 Gov. 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. 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. 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. Abbotts candidate committee from another committee affiliated with the governor. Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. Greg Abbott's 2022 reelection campaign is reporting contributions of 19-million-dollars in the last nine days of June. 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 Texas, Gov. Disclosure: Calpine, CenterPoint Energy, NRG Energy, Oncor, University of Texas at Austin and University of Houston 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. Where available, OpenSecrets uses that employer/occupation information to identify the donor's economic interest. In addition, the top ZIP codes for both candidates are often those where political action committees are based. with that same employer, the organization's name winds up on the Top Contributors list. 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.. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. All other numbers in these Abbott and ORourke are not the only gubernatorial candidates who have received backing from local Texas billionaires. 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. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. 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. 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. 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. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. That's four times more. Texas Ethics Commission records, however, show that three of the 13 representatives on the House Committee on State Affairs have accepted contributions from ERCOT board member Clifton Karnei. 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.. Dave Carney, Abbotts political strategist, said the governor is unperturbed by the volatile national political environment. A Texas Politics Project July poll indicates the race for Texas governor is tightening. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. 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 . 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. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. Greg Abbott dwarfing other candidates in energy-interest contributions, according to a KHOU 11 analysis of data . Do you value our journalism? Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. The approach was a response to Democratic success in the 2018 midterms. Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. Therell be a general election opponent, and [Democrats] will put a lot of effort in and theyll raise a lot of money.. ORourke received about 391,496 individual donations from outside the state, while Abbott received roughly 109,493. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions. As Gov. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. On Friday, Texans for Greg Abbott announced in a press release the governor raised nearly $25 . sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising records in their race for Texas governor. Under federal law, all contributions over $200 must be itemized and the donor's occupation and employer must be On the expenditures side, Gov. Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Unsurprisingly, Gov. disclosures vary. 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. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. available information, the donor is given an economic code. Most of Patrick's energy industry money received in June was driven by oil executives. 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. He covers Gov. 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. 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. AUSTIN Gov. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Oil and politics have been entwined in Texas for more than a century, since wildcatters hit the first gusher at Spindletop back in 1901. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment 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 . 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. 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 lag times vary for state officeholder data. 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. 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. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. 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. In addition, Abbott has received donations from deep-pocketed donors in the real estate industry like Edward Roski Jr., president of Majestic Realty in California, who gave $1.5 million, as well as three donations of $1 million each from supporters in finance and casinos. 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. A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? 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. In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. 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. During the same stretch after the two subsequent . 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.. Abbott so far has two challengers in the Republican primary. Texas Gov. Through Nov. 30, even with federal fundraising constraints, Crenshaw in the last two-year cycle raised a whopping $19 million. More:Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to. Learn more. That is why Congress and many states have mandated that candidates, political We will secure the future of Texas." Email * Zip Code * 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. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. Totals for industries (and larger economic DeSantis, who frequently tangles . And talk of a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Contributors 2022 $71,842,556 grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022 Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180 Top: 20 Top 20 Contributors to Campaign Committee Export to CSV Showing 1 to 20 of 20 entries Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. 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. Cobos salary is $143,000. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Loans are included in most of the elements, except for the top donor tables. 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 A spokesperson for Paddie did not respond to questions. These totals are conservative, as not all of the Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. Here's 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. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. Of the $44.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 21.9 percent came from the top 10 donors. As of February 19, Abbotts committee reported that it had about $50 million in cash on hand. 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. Gas producers got a pass by Texas policymakers, said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. website. The former El Paso congressman and presidential candidate is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to win statewide office in Texas and to be the state's first Democratic governor since Ann Richards (1991-1995). Texas Gov. OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. Separate from discussion of the virus outbreak, some have wondered whether Houston-area GOP congressman Dan Crenshaw, whos seen nationally as a Republican comer, might jump into a race against Abbott. 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. 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. The warnings led to renewed calls for the Legislature to take more urgent action to fix the power grid. Heres how they compare. Greg Abbott, the state budget and CPS and foster care. Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. Abbott candidate committee made to another committee affiliated with the governor. These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. requested and disclosed, if provided. There is also a time lag in posting the information. The. Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. O'Rourke's campaign reported Tuesday having raised $25.18 million over the most recent reporting period from July 1 through Sept. 29. Updated: Feb. 10, 2023. 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. If enough contributions came in from people connected Warren's donation is . Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. may affect those organizations or their industries. Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year.