The Top Dogs: 196 Donors Gave $259 Million in 2020 State Elections

Texas’s top 196 individual and institutional political contributors collectively sunk $259 million into the state’s two-year 2020 election cycle, equivalent to 90 percent of the $289 million that candidates for Texas public offices raised in that period, according to Texas Ethics Commission data. These top contributors gave anywhere from $350,000 to $17 million apiece.

See the list of the 196 Texas Top Dogs.

The 185 Mega-donors That Run Texas!

TPJ has compiled a list of the largest contributors of campaign money in the most recent Texas elections.

 

▶ The top 185 contributors spent $131 million during the two-year 2016 election cycle for non-federal public offices.

▶ The 185 mega-donors provided 67% of the $195 million total raised by all candidates for state offices.   
▶ The 185 mega-donors spent from $250,000 to $9 million apiece.  Thirty-one gave over $1 million each.

VIEW THE MEGA-DONOR LIST.

Money Totals and Donor Databasesfor all Winning 2012 Candidates

Fundraising and cash-on-hand totals for all 2012 winning legislative candidates are available. Complete contributor lists for each candidate are downloadable in CSV format.

View and/or download the House and Senate lists.

House & Senate Candidate Fundraising Totals and Donor Lists

Fundraising and cash-on-hand totals for all legislative candidates covering the 2012 election cycle (through 8-day out reports)are available. Complete contributor lists for each candidate are downloadable in CSV format.

View and/or download the House and Senate lists.

Fundraising Totals & Donor Lists for Texas House & Senate Candidates

Fundraising and cash-on-hand totals for all legislative candidates covering the 2012 election cycle (through 30 day out reports)are available. Complete contributor lists for each candidate are downloadable in CSV format.

View and/or download the House and Senate lists.

Texas’ Biggest Political Donors

Who are the state’s biggest campaign donors? TPJ created a list of the 25 largest individual and 25 largest institutional donors in the 2010 election cycle. Download a data file listing each contribution by the 50 top donors. Data includes all contributions to candidates for state office, Texas PACs and political parties from January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2010.

View the Top Donor lists.

Money in PoliTex 2010

TPJ's new report, Money in PoliTex 2010, analyzes the $202 million raised by 333 major-party candidates in the 2010 legislative and statewide elections. Report provides downloads of complete contributor lists for each of Texas' 181 sitting lawmakers and state officials elected in 2010.

Read the Money in PoliTex report.

Fundrasing Totals and Contributor Lists for 2010 Winners Available

TPJ has posted fundraising and spending totals for House, Senate and statewide election winners. Downloadable donor lists are posted and include itemized contributor information for each candidate from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010.

Access the contribution and spending data here.

Money in Politex 2008See Who Bankrolled Your Legislator!

TPJ's new report, Money in PoliTex 2008, analyzes the $95 million raised by 312 major-party candidates in the 2008 legislative elections. Report provides complete contributor lists for each of Texas' 181 sitting lawmakers.

Read the media release and the full report.

New Report: "Who Bankrolls Your Legislators?"

TPJ's new report, Money in PoliTex 2006, analyzes the $158 million raised by 378 Texas candidates in the recent election cycle. View fundraising profiles of 181 lawmakers and the state's top elected officials.

Read the media release and the full report.

Austin American-Statesman: Report details $158 million spent in 2006 elections

Texans for Public Justice has released its comprehensive analysis of campaign spending for the 2006 election cycle with a new feature: reports on individual lawmakers. The report focuses on money raised by 378 major-party candidates for the Texas Legislature and seven statewide offices, ranging from governor to land commissioner. What's new are the "Officeholder Profiles" that include the top donors to individual officeholders. Read the article at the Austin American-Statesman

Report details $158 million spent in 2006 elections

New this year: reports on individual state House and Senate members.

By Laylan Copelin
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, September 27, 2007

Texans for Public Justice has released its comprehensive analysis of campaign spending for the 2006 election cycle with a new feature: reports on individual lawmakers.

The report focuses on money raised by 378 major-party candidates for the Texas Legislature and seven statewide offices, ranging from governor to land commissioner. It continues the group's past analyses of top donors (Houston builder Bob Perry repeats as No. 1), campaign dollar totals (32 percent higher than four years ago) and the most prolific political action committees (Texans for Lawsuit Reform edged out the Texas Association of Realtors).

What's new are the "Officeholder Profiles" that include the top donors to individual officeholders.

The reports might bust a few myths.

For example, Perry, who spent most of his $7.1 million on Republicans, was the top donor in 2006 to next year's Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, state Rep. Rick Noriega ($7,000). Both are from Houston.

It also reinforces some stereotypes.

State Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County, who leads the House Transportation Committee and champions toll roads, was favored by construction and concrete companies. His top three donors were from those industries.

The report was compiled from campaign fundraising and expenditure reports available from the Texas Ethics Commission.

Craig McDonald, executive director of Texans for Public Justice, said that even though the information is readily available, it's difficult for the public to compile in a meaningful way because there are so many reports and so many donors who contribute under slightly different names.

"If you try to do this at the Texas Ethics Commission, you are stymied," he said. "This is one-stop shopping."

Unfortunately, it looks back at only the 2006 elections. Real-time analysis, McDonald said, will have to wait for real-time money for quicker results.

To see the report, Money in PoliTex: A Guide to Money in the 2006 Texas Elections, visit www.tpj.org/reports/politex2006.

Money in the 2006 campaign, at a glance:
-$158 million raised for 173 statewide and legislative offices.
-Two-thirds of that money went to the winners.
-141 big-dollar donors ($100,000 or more) gave one-third of the $158 million.

House candidates raised 81 percent of their money ($48 million) outside their district (mostly from Austin-based groups or lobbyists).

Senate candidates raised 70 percent of their money ($14 million) from outside their districts (mostly from Austin-based groups or lobbyists).

9 percent of the money - so-called late train money - was given after the November election

Money in PoliTex 2004

The 2004 election cycle covered a non-gubernatorial election year with relatively few races for statewide offices. TPJ's new report, Money in PoliTex 2004, analyzes the $56.4 million raised in the 2004 cycle just by Texas legislative candidates.

Read the full report.

Money in PoliTex: A Guide to Money in the 2002 Texas Elections

Texans for Public Justice released the first comprehensive study of a Texas election. Money in PoliTex: A Guide to Money in the 2002 Texas Elections analyzes the sources, sizes, and interests behind the $195 million that Texas statewide and legislative candidates raised for the most recent state election and a post mortem of the $43.5 million that PACs of the two major political parties raised separately to support state candidates.

Read the media release and the full report.