Governor Greg Abbott's 2022 Re-Election Campaign Raises $19M In Late State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment disclosures vary. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. You may opt-out by, Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment, Source of wealth: Computer services, real estate, Source of wealth: Hyatt hotels, investments. Unsurprisingly, Gov. GOP accepted millions from oil and gas ahead of Texas primary 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. ideological code, rather than an economic code, if the contributor gives to an ideological political action Warren's donation is . 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.. ORourke received about 391,496 individual donations from outside the state, while Abbott received roughly 109,493. 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. Patrick, 70, has insisted he wants to stay where he is. Abbotts roster of rich donors is full of Texas Republicans with oil interestssome of who supported Trump ahead of the 2020 election. ORourke, who only launched his campaign for governor in November last year, has raised just $61,000 from at least 2 billionaires and 3 spouses of billionaires. Abbott is tending to home state business, he noted. corporations and unions can give directly to campaigns in many jurisdictions. 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 wants to deny undocumented kids a public education State requirements related to itemization thresholds and employment 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. Caroline Covington contributed to this story. The PUC has largely avoided blame for last weeks power issues, so far, despite providing oversight to ERCOT. 2023 www.statesman.com. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. As Gov. Outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas both accused the governor of not being conservative enough. 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. Energy Transfer CEO Kelcy Warren is one of Abbotts top donors. In 2021, the Abbott campaign had out-raised the O'Rourke campaign since the start of their respective campaigns. Neither Cobos or the spokesperson ended up providing a statement for this story. His campaign accepted more than $12 million in political contributions from oil and gas companies and executives this election cycle. Abbotts: Oil mogul Javaid S. Anwar of Midland had given Abbott nearly $2.5 millionas well as $200,000 to Paxton. UHs Cross said Abbott actually was straddling various state GOP factions long before 2020 and will continue to do so. Gov. Cobos salary is $143,000. 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. A Texas Politics Project July poll indicates the race for Texas governor is tightening. A fifth-generation Texan, Bob earned a bachelors degree from Harvard University. OpenSecrets aggregates state data from many sources and formats. The data is made public by the Texas Ethics Commission. On the expenditures side, Gov. He covers Gov. If recent historys any guide, by November 2022, which will be Bidens first midterm election, Democrats may not be riding so high, he noted. Final fundraising figures show that both gubernatorial candidates raised a combined $160 million in the November midterm election. Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. Oil grew to become the states signature industry, rich oilmen and companies started showering politicians with money and a romance blossomed. 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. During the same stretch after the two subsequent . 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.. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 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). In Texas, Gov. and formats. with that same employer, the organization's name winds up on the Top Contributors list. 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. 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. But to build a better future for every Texan, I need your help. Democrat Beto O'Rourke hasraised $7.2 million since launchinghis campaign for Texas governor, according to his campaign. Abbott hasnt detailed what he wants the Republican-controlled Legislature, which convened Tuesday, to accomplish this year. 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. Greg Abbott raised almost $25 million during the same period, according to Friday press releases from both of the campaigns. Leading up to Abbotts decision, Lt. Gov. Gov. Thats what allows Gov. Show us with your support. 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. 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. Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to cut off funding for the legislature after Democrats walked out of the final session to prevent the passage of Abbott's voter integrity bill. As a Republican and a Texan, Abbott may have received significant campaign contributions from the NRA. 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. Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez spent in 2002 and the combined $90 million Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis spent in 2014. Race for Texas governor: Energy industry's campaign contributions 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. reason, summary numbers are usually higher (and more current) than the numbers based on detailed records. 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. Gov. Abbott Vetoes Funding For State Legislature, - PJ Media In the final half of 2020, Abbott collected contributions from 22,598 donors, 10,116 of whom were new, his campaign announced Wednesday. parties and political committees request employer information from contributors and publicly report it when the 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. This is a BETA experience. If, for instance, Henry Jones lists his employer as First National 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 . Aug. 4, 20215 AM Central. Texas Gov. He said the latest contributions of $25 million came from nearly 475,000 donors, making the average contribution $53. Greg Abbott Top Contributors OpenSecrets Greg Abbott, who is heading into a reelection year in 2022, benefited most from the flood of June campaign donations from the energy industry. 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 his contributions in 2021. Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. 2022 campaign season: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raises almost $19 Million Do you value our journalism? individual contributions have yet been classified by OpenSecrets. Breaking down the contributions by ZIP code in Texas, ORourke received more money from donors in major cities, which are Democratic strongholds. Abbott, who has held a commanding lead in cash on hand during the race, touts $46 million in his campaign coffers. How has the candidates fundraising compared over time? 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. 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. The fifth payee, listed as Greg Abbott, represents reported expenditures a Gov. databases are only as current as the FEC has been able to compile by that date (see the note above about lag times For that Data for 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. 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. O'Rourke's latest haul includes $2 million raised during the first 24 hours of his campaign, collected frommore than 20,000 individual donors. 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 . Fixing Texas power grid was about the only thing Republicans and Democrats in the legislative session seemed to agree on earlier this year. The power grid was not included. interest group. Texas governor election: Beto O'Rourke looks to put Greg Abbott on defense in early stages of Texas governor's race. 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 . These tables list the top donors to officeholders in 2022. Tribune: Texas Leaders Raked in Millions After Electric Grid Collapse Greg Abbott is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. Greg Abbott has $38M in his campaign bank, but is it enough to scare off 2022 challengers? 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 Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. 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). Because Texas has no campaign finance contribution limits, its possible both candidates will accumulate and spend record-breaking amounts of campaign cash by Election Day. His largest billionaire donor so far is Margot Birmingham Perot, the widow of former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot Sr. Shes given $25,000 to ORourkes campaign since November. This gives us time to analyze the contributions and categorize them by industry and 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. George W. Bush was heavily funded by his familys well-established energy network, his successor, former Gov. 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. voters, researchers and others. grand total of contributions Greg Abbott has reported in 2022Number of Contributions from Individuals (above itemization threshold): 292,180. sparring with one Abbott-appointed regulator on the senate floor. FEC and listed quickly on OpenSecrets processing and analyzing the detailed records takes much longer. 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. 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. Other lawmakers who saw some of the largest spikes in funding from the energy industry were those who authored the power grid legislation and chaired the committees that heard the bills. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. The top donor, Greg Abbott, represents reported contributions received by Gov. That amount is up from 12% of his contributions coming from energy interests after the 2019 session, about $383,000. Florida Gov. Note that Paxtons top donor is the same as Gov. More broadly, Governor Abbotts political committee, Texans For Greg Abbott, has built up a massive war chest of donations, from billionaires and many other donors, which hell be able to take into the general election if he wins his race on March 1. As Texas voters go to the polls next week, it is clear which candidate billionaires are backing in the gubernatorial primary: current Gov. First, we apply a code to the contribution, identifying the industry. Texans for Public Justice released this week, A bill proposed by San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson in 2017. In 2017, Abbott appointed her to lead the PUC, where she makes a $200,000 salary. While former Gov. 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. 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. Were talking about a historic blackout in the state of Texas, that affected millions of peoples lives, some in very dangerous ways, said Wheat. Here is how fundraising by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a roundtable discussion at the Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters in Austin on Jan. 21. . Here's how much. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Beto O'Rourke out-raises Greg Abbott in campaign contributions Dan Patrick, after coming within 5 percentage points of the incumbent in 2018. The comments came during an appearance on Fox News. Greg Abbott speaks during a campaign event on February 23 in Houston. However, both candidates have national profiles, with Abbott regularly appearing on Fox News and ORourke running for president in 2020. the Coronavirus crisis. Wheat criticized Abbotts decision last week to blame the power grids supply issues on frozen wind turbines. That far exceeds the $6.8 million in cash on hand that ORourkes committee, Beto For Texas, reported as of the same date. 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. Before Abbott and O'Rourke can face off at the polls, both candidates must first win their respective March 1 primary races. 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 and Beto O'Rourke broke fundraising - The Texas Tribune As Gov. In fact, Abbott's campaign said he has raised $95 million this election season. 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. The storm, as bad as it was, helped him on his bottom line for contributions.. Greg Abbott attacks Beto O'Rourke without mentioning him by name. 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. How much have the candidates raised so far? 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.. In the November race for Texas governor, two prolific fundraisers are vying to be the chief executive of the state. 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. In some cases, a cluster of contributions from people associated with the same organization may indicate a In January, fracking billionaire Farris Wilks, who gained national attention when he poured $15 million into backing Ted Cruzs 2016 presidential bid, gave $2 million to a PAC called Defend Texas Liberty that donated $1 million to the campaign of Don Huffines, another candidate running in the Republican primary who is considered a long shot to win. Thats significantly more than former Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. Gov. Abbott received $4.6 million from energy. The Abbott campaign said it has raised nearly $68 million since the campaign's start in June 2021. Abbott raises $19 million, Beto O'Rourke's fast start nets $7.2 million in race for governor. motivation for each individual giver. More: Ahead of primary, Gov. 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. Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of the state affairs committee, also did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. Abbott his job, run a more aggressive and public-facing campaign, pushing the states politics to the right, 2015 felony indictment for securities fraud.