Abbott and ORourke have easily surpassed the combined $95 million Gov. ORourkes 2019 presidential run created some problems, she acknowledged. reports from the FEC or state campaign finance agencies that reach applicable itemization thresholds. Greg Abbott. DeSantis, who frequently tangles . ORourke and Abbott will compete separately in their own party primaries on March 1, but many are already looking ahead to a general election between the former Democratic House representative and the current Republican governor. voters, researchers and others. Those donations have added up, bringing in about $9.7 million for Abbott and $37.8 million for ORourke. 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. 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. In Texas, Gov. Warrens Energy Transfer cofounder Ray Davis gave $125,000 to Abbott. Join us Sept. 20-25 at the 2021 Texas Tribune Festival. Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they are going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers.. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. OpenSecrets updates federal figures for "Total Raised and Spent" and for "PAC/Individual Split" a few days after During the same stretch after the two subsequent . Disclosure: Javaid Anwar, Tench and Simone Otus Coxe, Marguerite Hoffman, Gary Martin, Gulf States Toyota, HillCo Partners LLC and Ross Perot Jr./Hillwood Development Co. LLC 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. 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. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. During the same stretch after the two subsequent legislative sessions in 2017 and 2019, fewer than 9% of Paddies contributions came from energy interests. Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for governor of Texas. Abbotts roster of rich donors is full of Texas Republicans with oil interestssome of who supported Trump ahead of the 2020 election. Paddie received contributions from Oncor; Vistra, the states largest power generation company; and NuStar Political Action Committee, an oil and gas group. He gave $1 million to Abbotts campaign in June 2021. This past Valentine's Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed HB 923, delivering . In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. OpenSecrets A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 857-0044 INFO: [email protected] O'Rourke at that time had raised $7.2 million while Abbott raised nearly $19 million in the last six months of 2021, according to January campaign finance reports. Of all the statewide elections in Texas, the attorney generals race is expected to be the most competitive. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke shatter fundraising records in the Texas governor's race, see who has been donating to candidates with this campaign finance interactive.. With this tracker . Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. 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. More:Governor's race tightens as Greg Abbott's lead over Beto O'Rourke shrinks to 6 points, poll finds. 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. ALBANY - Gov. The pay for play proposal was passed by the full House but was killed in Lt. Gov. 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. 2022 campaign season: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raises almost $19 Million As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Recession. If enough contributions came in from people connected 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. Texas governor race: Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott campaigns raise more contributor provides it. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. Slawson and Shaheen each received $150 last year, records show. Gov. Abbott's campaign said it received nearly 113,000 contributions and that 86% of the campaign contributions came from within Texas. 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. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach Texas, the . Texas has no limits on campaign contributions. 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. Abbott Wants to Deny Undocumented Kids a Public Education As of Oct. 29, 2022, Abbott received a greater percentage of his money from Texas donors compared with ORourke. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports. Carney, the Abbott adviser, dismissed talk that ORourke could pose a threat. 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. Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. Unsurprisingly, Gov. Hes running for reelection in 2022, said Patrick spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. 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. 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. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and The warnings led to renewed calls for the Legislature to take more urgent action to fix the power grid. Totals for industries (and larger economic Beto O'Rourke Edges Texas Gov. Abbott in Summer Campaign Contributions 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. 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. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Note that the same amount appears on both the contributions and the expenditures side of the reported data. Texas' energy interests are the biggest backers of his political rise, and he has not ruled out a White House run in 2024. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. UHs Cross said Abbott actually was straddling various state GOP factions long before 2020 and will continue to do so. Dan Patrick pressured Abbott in public statements that issues related to the grid needed to be on the agenda. 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. We do this in two ways: It is impossible to know either the economic interest that made each individual contribution possible or the State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment disclosures vary. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 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. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Dallas-based Energy Transfer, gave the most money, with a single $1 million contribution to Gov. Texas Gov. In Texas, Gov. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. Using previous figures reported by the Texas Ethics Commission, O'Rourke has now raised more than $65 million in what has become one of America's most expensive races of the 2022 midterms. 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. 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. the first of the month. 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 Still, ORourke does have a few of his own billionaire supporters. 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. 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. In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, chair of the powerful state affairs committee in the House, was among those lawmakers. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising records in their race for Texas governor. "I'm grateful for everyone who helped us raise $27.63. available information, the donor is given an economic code. Bob has covered state government and politics for The Dallas Morning News since 2002. Connect with needs and opportunities from. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. 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. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke raised $27.3 million from Feb. 20 to June 30, while Republican Gov. Sometimes it's hard to make apple-to-apple comparisons across some of the pages in a candidate's profile. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. Tuesday marks the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission detailing fundraising and spending from July through December. To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. The Texas Tribune has been tracking contributions, expenditures and cash on hand for both candidates since ORourke officially entered the race in November last year. Texas Gov. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. He did not respond to a request for comment. As Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. 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. There will be one last update in January with final fundraising numbers for the 2022 midterms. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. One of the things that contributors are buying when they are contributing to a public official is access. 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. 2022 campaign contributions: Who's backing Texas political candidates Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit OpenSecrets. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. O'Rourke's campaign said he got over 115,600 contributions over the 46-day period, while Abbott's team said. AUSTIN Heading into the 2022 campaign season, Gov. On ORourkes campaign they added, This is a grassroots campaign funded largely by the people of Texasnot the select few who know they can buy Abbott off.. The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. Abbott is a member of the Republican Party and first assumed office in 2015. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the . According to its website, OPUC represents the interests of residential and small commercial consumers, as a class, in utility proceedings in Texas. 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. "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. A contribution to a candidate may be given an Carpenter, Cobos and Walker are three of 10 remaining ERCOT board members after the five others all of whom live out of state resigned this week. Heres how they compare. Democrat Beto O'Rourke has raised $7.2 million since launching his campaign for Texas governor . motivation for each individual giver. by Mitchell Ferman and Carla Astudillo You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. For his part, Patrick has been pushing the states politics to the rightsince his days as a talk radio host in Houston. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. 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. Billionaire money manager Ken Fisher, who lives in Dallas, donated $25,000 to Abbotts campaign, plus $100,000 to the Defend Texas PAC. 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.. Warren spent more than $10 million to try to get Trump reelected in 2020. 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. Texas Gov. State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment These generous contributions from people all across Texas show just how excited Texans are for this campaign, Abbott said in a statement. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, Other ERCOT board members are listed in TEC records as having contributed to several energy-related PACs. Greg Abbott continued his legislative push for "parental empowerment" in Austin on Wednesday while also expressing support for a bill meant to keep local . The Legislature ultimately passed a bill shepherded by Paddie in the House and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, in the Senate that requires power generation companies to prepare to withstand extreme weather conditions. Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. Energy Industry Showers Gov. Greg Abbott, Other Texas Politicians - TPR King, Slawson and Shaheen did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment for this story. 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. 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. 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. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. 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. About 26% of Patricks contributions in June came from energy interests, more than $1.3 million, his most ever in the post-session stretch. 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. Abbott to rake in $1 million checks from individual donors. On the expenditures side, Gov. Texas Gov. Just over 40% of the sum of ORourkes donations came from out-of-state donors, compared with 17% of Abbotts. DC Paddie has received thousands in contributions from these entities in election years, but never this amount immediately after a legislative session. corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. While summary numbers are reported almost immediately by the 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. 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. The approach was a response to Democratic success in the 2018 midterms. 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. The. AUSTIN Gov. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 Gov. Small donors make up almost half of the total amount ORourke raised. 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. Abbott said 81% of his donors were from Texas. From June 21 to June 30, after the legislative fundraising blackout ended, five of the largest and most prominent companies in the Texas power grid supply chain Calpine, Centerpoint, NRG Energy, Oncor and Vistra or their top executives collectively donated about $497,000 to state elected officials and political groups. Beto O'Rourke, Greg Abbott release latest fundraising hauls | The Texas 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. Bolstered by his record-breaking figures over the past few months, ORourke has raised almost $6 million more than Abbott as of Oct. 29, 2022. contributions from corporate PACs, employees and owners as well as their immediate families. As Gov. Abbott raises $19 million, O'Rourke $7.2 million in race for governor Tribune: Texas Leaders Raked in Millions After Electric Grid Collapse Abbott compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022: The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Texas PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. Abbott raised more in smaller cities and rural areas. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. Texas Governor Greg Abbott's 2019 reelection inaugural was a 2-day event that included balls, candlelight dinners, barbecues and other VIP events -- costing some $5.3 million for the celebrations. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. 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 is bought and paid for by his billionaire donors, a spokesperson for ORourkes campaign told Forbes in an email. Donors who give more than $200 to any federal candidate, PAC or party committee must list their occupation and That amount is up from 12% of his contributions. Gov. Abbott Vetoes Funding For State Legislature, - PJ Media GOP accepted millions from oil and gas ahead of Texas primary However, Abbott has been a prolific fundraiser for years, which gave him the upper hand earlier in the race. 2023 www.statesman.com. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. 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. 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. Texas Gov. Abbott receives $44.8 million, with a Greg - Ballotpedia ABBOTT, GREG - FollowTheMoney.org February winter storm: Campaign donations poured in after reform - WFAA 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. 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. 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 talks parental empowerment, 'regulatory consistency' to open Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. 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 . As a Republican and a Texan, Abbott may have received significant campaign contributions from the NRA.