governor abbott campaign contributions

Corporations themselves cannot donate to candidates at the federal level but federal candidates can get 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. As of Oct. 29, 2022, Abbott received a greater percentage of his money from Texas donors compared with ORourke. individual contributions have yet been classified by OpenSecrets. 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. At the state level, corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. And ORourke has over $500,000 more cash on hand than Abbott. 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. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. 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. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. "As we move into the heat of the summer campaign, were well positioned to fund all our campaign efforts, Texans for Greg Abbott Campaign Chairman Gardner Pate said in the Friday release. 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. O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. 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. He knows how to walk that fine line between moderate Republicans and those that are very right of center, she said. 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). ALBANY - Gov. Florida Gov. Energy Tycoon Kelcy Warren's Gave $1 Million to Greg Abbott sectors) can be seen in each candidate and race profile, and in the Industry Profile section of the OpenSecrets OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after 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. 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. Gov. About 26% of Patricks contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. We will secure the future of Texas." Email * Zip Code * profiles for state and federal officeholders are derived from contribution records disclosed in campaign finance The Small Donors column represents the sum of itemized contributions from donors who gave an aggregate of less than $50. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has had $47,177,963 contributed to his campaign. 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. "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. Dan Patrick received millions in contributions from the energy industry, a new Texas Tribune report shows. Still, University of North Texas political scientist Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha said Abbotts $38 million will scare off most of the competition.. All other numbers in these Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. On Friday, Texans for Greg Abbott announced in a press release the governor raised nearly $25 . With this tracker, The Express-News is providing continuously updated information on political contributions for the Nov. 8, 2022, elections, along with lists of top donors by name and by industry for statewide candidates for governor, attorney general, and lieutenant governor. Tribune: Texas Leaders Raked in Millions After Electric Grid Collapse We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the Gov. 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 money came from159,000 total contributions with an average contribution of roughly $119, his campaign said Tuesday. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. 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. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. 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. July 19, 2022 The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. and formats. Bank, his wife Matilda lists "Homemaker" and 12-year old Tammy shows up as "Student," OpenSecrets would identify all 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. 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. Greg Abbott, gives an update on an investigation into the massacre in Uvalde, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. 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. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015 and as a member of the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001.. Abbott was the third Republican to serve as attorney general of Texas since the . Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. 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. However, Abbott s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak has attracted criticism from Democrats, independents and staunchly conservative Republicans, weakening his once-robust job approval ratings in public polls. 2022 campaign season: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raises almost $19 Million But were looking at almost two years until our election. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. 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. Abbott Wants to Deny Undocumented Kids a Public Education State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, chair of the powerful state affairs committee in the House, was among those lawmakers. OpenSecrets aggregates state data from many sources and formats. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. committee AND the candidate has received money from PACs representing that same ideological interest. 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. Texas governor race: Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott campaigns raise more In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. The O'Rourke campaign has not yet released how much cash on hand it has. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising records in their race for Texas governor. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. If enough contributions came in from people connected 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. The power grid was not included. Of the trio, King received the most contributions from Karnei by far: five between 2004 and 2016 totaling $475, according to TEC records. 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. 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). Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. 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. Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. Meet The Billionaires Backing Beto O'Rourke And Greg Abbott - Forbes Walker, the chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and a former senior policy advisor to Abbott, contributed $7,620 to Texans for Greg Abbott from 2009 to 2015, state campaign records show. 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. How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? 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. Here's The. 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 . He helped raised $54 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates in other states, Carney said. Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. Greg Abbott Top Contributors OpenSecrets Abbott talks parental empowerment, 'regulatory consistency' to open As CNBC reported, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans in a speech on. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. 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 . Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas. 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. The other organizations on the list include law firms, teachers groups and liberal political action committees. Unsurprisingly, Gov. Abbott, O'Rourke and more: See who's donating to Texas candidates ahead Abbott reported $37.9 million, with 79.1 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list. 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. Home - FollowTheMoney.org After the 2021 regular legislative session, energy industry donations totaling $26,000 for the period made up 88% of Paddies campaign contributions over just the last 10 days of June. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. Abbott's Chart-Topping Donors for 2020 - Transparency USA GOP accepted millions from oil and gas ahead of Texas primary Of the donors, O'Rourke's campaign said 98% of the donations were received online and that teachers contributed more than any other occupation. Organizations like political action committees or industry associations can also give directly to candidate campaigns. 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. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. Hancock also has ties to the energy industry in his full-time job as a business owner. available information, the donor is given an economic code. In addition, the top ZIP codes for both candidates are often those where political action committees are based. 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. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. In Texas, Gov. 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. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife. Small donors make up almost half of the total amount ORourke raised. Abbott has run a similar playbook as Perry and has taken it to a different level, Rottinghaus said. Second, we standardize the name of the donor's employer. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. requested and disclosed, if provided. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. Connect with needs and opportunities from. 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. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. 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. That's four times more. 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. A Schwertner spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story. How many donations came from within Texas? Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined. As Gov. contributions may be completely unrelated to the organization. Texas Gov. Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. Cobos salary is $143,000. We dont take anything for granted, he said. 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. AUSTIN Gov. Some of the state data included errors in the address field; these records were corrected when possible such as when the donors address was available elsewhere in the data set and omitted from the location-based calculations when not. Greg Abbott. 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. But that wasnt always the case: In June 2021, Abbott had a campaign balance of over $55 million, and Abbott has spent almost twice as much money as his opponent, including a June ad buy worth nearly $20 million. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. Energy Industry Showers Abbott, Other Texas Politicians With Campaign Find a complete list of them here. Kolten Parker, Digital Executive Producer. These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. But the bill didnt set a hard deadline for when the upgrades need to be complete and it stopped short of detailing how the state would enforce and incentivize the process called weatherization. Greg Abbott - Texas Governor (R) Now showing data for the 2022 election year. A lot of things can happen. 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. Therell be a general election opponent, and [Democrats] will put a lot of effort in and theyll raise a lot of money.. 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. Rick Perry, worked to cultivate a wide base of financial support from energy interests, Rottinghaus said. Earlier, he was a statehouse reporter for three newspapers, including the Dallas Times Herald. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National 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. ORourkes top donors come from industries including finance, media and philanthropy. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. His chemical logistics company serves the oil and gas industry, among others. Greg Abbott campaign promises 'knock-out, drag-out fight' in race against Beto O'Rourke, according to January campaign finance reports, Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. (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.). Warren has given Abbott $250,000 donations almost every year since he won the governors office in 2014. Warren's company Energy Transfer declined to comment on his behalf. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Abbott had $55 million saved up for his reelection campaign at the end of June. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. Here's how much. The totals, calculated by aggregating individual donations reported in those filings, do not include non-monetary or in-kind contributions. Find a complete list of them here. 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. grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. During that week, Abbott assured Texans the grid was in better shape than ever. Robert T. Garrett, Austin Bureau Chief. Abbott, who has held a commanding lead in cash on hand during the race, touts $46 million in his campaign coffers. Oil and gas taxes now boost the state budget. Texas Gov. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. 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. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. 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. Knowing those groups is also The figures in federal profiles are taken from databases uploaded by the FEC on the first day of every month. 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. West Texas energy billionaires make 7-figure wager against Abbott in Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. In the past two cycles, national Democrats have shown their willingness to pour millions into once-forbidding Texas. He also received $1.5 million from billionaire George Soros, who is known for backing liberal candidates. Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. Those Abbott is running for re-election in 2022. 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. 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. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. He loves being lieutenant governor and is not running against Gov. Texas doesnt limit political giving, with no caps on individual contributions for candidates for state office. Greg Abbott, who is heading into a re-election year. Together, we will make sure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family. motivation for each individual giver. This means that overall, Abbotts Texas donors gave more than ORourkes Texas donors. the Coronavirus crisis. Democrat Mike Collier gets his rematch with incumbent Lt. Gov. based on summary reports filed by the candidates with the Federal Election Commission. Greg Abbott hauled in nearly $19 million over the last nine days of June and boasted an eye-popping $55 million in the bank as he prepares to . Board member Mark Carpenter, a senior vice president with Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery, has contributed $10,000 to Texans for Greg Abbott, Abbotts campaign war chest, since October 2018. 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 . Just over 40% of the sum of ORourkes donations came from out-of-state donors, compared with 17% of Abbotts. Texas Gov. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. There is also a time lag in posting the information. Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. The PUC has largely avoided blame for last weeks power issues, so far, despite providing oversight to ERCOT. 2023 www.statesman.com. 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. 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. 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.