Statewide and legislative elected officials and candidates on the ballot in 2022 raised $42.9M, almost all of which was raised in the last 10 days of June. Collectively, they reported having more than $175M on hand. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) combined accounted for 55% of all contributions received ($23.7M) and 45% of all cash on hand ($79.2M). Looking only at incumbent legislators and state officials, regardless of their ballot status, the 10-day fundraising total exceeded $36M.
Our Crib Sheets have been updated with the latest results.
Statewide Results
GOV: Abbott out-raised former Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas), $18.7M to $4.1M, and the incumbent reported having $55.6M on hand between his campaign and candidate/officeholder (COH) accounts. Abbott transferred nearly $2.2M to his campaign account from his COH account, which we netted out of his contribution and expenditure totals from the combined accounts (He had already raised those dollars and did not actually spend them.).
Abbott’s largest contributors over the last 10 days of June included:
- $1M each from Houston construction executive James Pitcock Jr., Doss rancher Michael Porter, Dallas investor Kenny Troutt and Dallas energy executive Kelcy Warren
- $500K each from Fort Worth executive Bobby Cox and City of Industry, Calif., real estate executive Edward Roski Jr.
- $300K from Huntsville developer William Harris
- $250K each from Fort Worth investor Robert Albritton, Lake Jackson executive Arch Aplin III (CEO of Buc-ee’s), Austin executive Alexander Davis, Dallas investor Darwin Deason, El Paso investor Paul Foster, Houston energy executive Jay Graham, Houston energy executive Jeffrey Hildebrand, Katy construction executive Robert Lanham Jr., Temple executive Drayton McLane Jr., Houston liquor distributor John Nau III, Fort Worth investor Robert Patton Jr., Dallas developer H. Ross Perot Jr., Dallas executive Robert Rowling and Richardson executive Stephen Winn; and
- $200K each from Dallas executive Arcilla Acosta, The Woodlands auto dealer Joseph Agresti, Houston restaurateur Tilman Fertitta, Houston investor Stuart Stedman and Houston executive Bradford Tucker.
Abbott received 35 contributions of at least $100K not listed above and 97 contributions of at least $25K but less than $100K. Abbott, the most prolific fundraiser in state history, has raised $57.9M since the beginning of 2019, $135.4M since becoming governor and $224.5M since 1996.
The Huffines campaign earlier this week announced he raised a “record” $9.1M since announcing his candidacy, but $5M of that total were proceeds from personal and personally guaranteed loans. We do not count loan proceeds as contributions. Of the $4.1M in contributions he reported:
- $2M came from his brother, Phillip Huffines
- $600K came from Dallas architect Scott Hall
- $250K came from Dallas home builder Randall Van Wolfswinkel
- $100K each came from Houston retiree Joe Gutierrez, San Antonio oil and gas executive James McMahon and Flower Mound retiree Darlene Pendery
- $100K combined from Midland oil and gas executive Tim Dunn and his wife Terri
- $100K combined from Cisco rancher Farris Wilks and his wide Jo Ann; and
- $50K each from Austin executive Don Dyer, Colleyville home builder Nelson Mitchell and Austin executive Jeff Sandefer.
The remaining $623K (15%) came from all other contributors. Even at $4.1M, Huffines’s contribution total eclipses the amount raised by any of Abbott’s primary opponents for any office Abbott has sought.
Former state Republican Party chair Allen West’s candidacy announcement occurred after July 1, so he will not have to disclose contributions to his gubernatorial campaign until January. He raised $6K during the first half of the year as chair.
LTGOV: Patrick’s $5.0M in contributions was the largest he has reported in any single reporting period and the fourth-most for any six-month period. His $23.6M on hand is the highest figure ever reported by any lieutenant governor and any Texas state official or candidate not named Abbott. Patrick has more than doubled his cash on hand in the last two years.
On the Democratic side, 2018 nominee Mike Collier raised $757K and has $203K on hand.
AG: Land Comm. George P. Bush (R) out-raised Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton, $2.3M to $1.8M, but Paxton has a $6.8M to $2.7M advantage in cash on hand. Former Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman (R) raised $1.1M and has $611K on hand.
Paxton’s largest contributors included the Republican Attorneys General Assoc. ($250K), Midland investor Douglas Scharbauer ($250K), Dallas investors Darwin and Doug Deason ($120K combined), Dallas investor Kenny Troutt ($100K), Midland oil and gas executive Javaid Anwar ($75K), Bellaire oil and gas executive Stephen Chazen ($50K), Sugar Land tech executive Holly Frost ($50K), Buc-ee’s CEO Don Wasek ($50K), Cisco oil and gas executive Dan Wilks ($50K) and Midland oil and gas executives Kyle and Robert Stallings ($45K combined).
Bush’s largest contributors included Dallas oil and gas executive Trevor Rees-Jones ($100K); The Woodlands attorney Arnulfo Treviño Garza ($100K); Midland executive Tripp Wommack III ($100K); Future Wanxiang Trust ($50K); Dallas energy executive Ray Hunt ($50K); John Ellis Bush Revocable Trust ($50K); Houston investor Ira Mitzner ($50K); Midland oil and gas executive Mike Party ($50K); McAllen investment banker Gaston Manuel Sosa ($50K); Houston investor Steven Webster ($50K); South Bend, Ind., retiree Frederick Cunningham III ($40K); and Southlake investor Frank Renda ($40K).
Guzman’s largest contributors included Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC ($200K), Dallas investor Robert Rowling ($100K), Houston homebuilder Richard Weekley ($100K), Dallas investor Harlan Crow ($50K), Houston retiree Janet Duncan ($50K), Austin executive Rex Gore ($50K), Houston executive Alan Hassenflu ($50K), Dallas investor Pierce Marshall Jr. ($40K), Austin retiree Stacy Hock ($25K) and Temple executive Drayton McLane III ($25K).
On the Democratic side, Galveston attorney Joe Jaworski raised $452K and has $525K on hand.
Legislative Results
Historically, the July semiannual reports coming weeks after the end of a legislative session have not told us much, and this year’s batch was no exception. Incumbent legislators and candidates raised $6.5M and collectively reported having $66.3M on hand. The 10 highest contribution totals were reported by:
- Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) – $1.04M
- Ellen Troxclair (R), running for open SD24 – $374K
- Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) – $350K
- Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills) – $225K
- Hugh Shine (R-Temple) – $191K
- Ann Johnson (D-Houston) – $184K
- Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) – $140K
- Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas) – $130K
- Salman Bhojani (D), challenging Hancock in SD9 – $127K
- Drew Springer (R) – $122K
Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) led all legislators with $11.3M on hand, followed by Phelan with $4.3M, Hancock with $3.4M, Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) with $1.8M, the retiring Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) with $1.7M and Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) with $1.7M.
A few Republican challengers who were unsuccessful in 2020 out-raised the respective incumbents in bids for rematches, including Carrie Isaac in HD45 ($45K to $26K), Justin Berry in HD47 ($24K to $11K), Kronda Thimesch in HD65 ($29K to $4K) and Justin Ray in HD135 ($32K to $5K).
We will not see another round of campaign finance reports until January.
©2021 Texas Election Source LLC
