[download pdf version of this Lobby Watch]
October 4, 2002
Power Brokers:
50 People, 30 Institutions
Supply 26% of TX Political Money

By the end of June, 50 powerful Texas families and 30 institutional donors already had spent $35.6 million to influence this November’s state elections. By one measure, these 80 sources account for 26 percent of the state’s total political funding.

These figures are based on electronic disclosure reports that candidates and political action com-mittees (PACs) file with the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC). While the numbers are imperfect, they are the best available.1  This report tracks political funds reported to the TEC thus far in the 2002 election cycle (January 2001 through June of 2002). New disclosures are due October 7.

So far this cycle, $137.4 million in political contributions have been electronically disclosed, with 18 percent of this money coming from 50 top in-dividual donors and another 8 percent coming from 30 top institutional donors (see tables).
 

Economic Interests of 'The Texas 50'
Interest
Amount
  Percent 
Energy
$15,907,464 
64%
Construction
$2,416,998 
10%
Finance
$1,636,720 
7%
Chemicals
$1,011,750 
4%
Health
$993,256 
4%
Lawyers/Lobbyists 
$763,884 
3%
Real Estate
$593,288 
2%
Agriculture
$544,150 
2%
Transportation
$457,000 
2%
Communications
$265,000 
1%
Miscellaneous
$162,000 
1%
Insurance
$143,500 
1%
TOTAL:
  $24,895,010 
100%
Top Individual Donors
Three individual Texans already have spent more than $1 million apiece this election cycle. Two of them are oil tycoons who are self-financing much of their own campaigns for top state offices: Gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez ($10.2 million); and lieutenant governor candidate David Dewhurst ($2.6 million). The No. 3 donor is homebuilder Bob Perry, who has given $1.6 million, largely to Republican PACs and candidates.

Fifteen energy tycoons dominated The Texas 50, spending almost $16 million. Even without the $12.7 million from the two oil tycoons who are financing their own campaigns, the Energy sector accounts for just over half of all the state political money spent by The Texas 50.

Seven Construction industry donors, led by home-builder Bob Perry, spent $2.4 million, accounting for 10 percent of The Texas 50 money. Road builder James Pitcock of Williams Brothers Construction came next ($188,250), followed by Richard and David Weekley of David Weekley Homes ($161,911).

Nine Finance industry donors, led by Dallas financiers Charles and Sam Wyly ($345,000), spent $1.6 million, or 7 percent of The Texas 50 money.

The oft-discussed Lawyers & Lobbyists sector ranked No. 6. This sector’s five big donors spent $763,884, with corporate lawyer Dee Kelly accounting for 15 percent ($115,350) and four plaintiff lawyers and lobbyists, led by Joe Jamail ($230,500), accounting for all the rest.
 
 
 

Texas-Sized Individual Donors
Top 50 Individual Donors in Texas' 2002 Election Cycle
Donor Company Interest City Amount
*Tony Sanchez Sanchez O'Brien Oil & Gas Energy Laredo
$10,172,407
David H. Dewhurst Falcon Seaboard Oil State Official Austin
$2,570,277
Bob Perry Bob Perry Homes Construction Houston
$1,550,500
James Leininger Kinetic Concepts Health San Antonio
$823,506
Albert Huddleston Hyperion Resources Energy Dallas
$695,000
Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim Pilgrim's Pride Agriculture Pittsburg
$544,150
Harlan Crow Trammell Crow Real Estate Dallas
$453,750
Robert McNair Cogen Technologies Energy Houston
$391,150
Gordon Cain Sterling Group Chemicals Houston
$386,500
Louis Beecherl Beecherl Investments Energy Dallas
$357,000
Sam & Charles Wyly Wyly brothers investments Finance Dallas
$345,000
William McMinn Sterling Group Chemicals Houston
$315,000
B.J. 'Red' Mccombs McCombs Enterprises Transportation San Antonio
$282,000
T. Boone Pickens Mesa Oil & Gas Energy Dallas
$268,600
Kenny A. Troutt Excel Communications Communications Dallas
$265,000
Dan Duncan Enterprise Products Co Energy Houston
$238,080
Geoffrey Raynor Q Funding Finance Fort Worth
$235,720
Ray Hunt Hunt Oil Energy Dallas
$230,500
Joe D. Jamail Jamail & Kolius Lawyers/Lobbyists Houston
$230,500
Harold Simmons Contran Corp Finance Dallas
$218,250
James Pitcock Williams Bros. Construction Construction Houston
$188,250
J. Virgil Waggoner Sterling Group Chemicals Houston
$193,000
Thomas Friedkin Friedkin Automotive Co's Transportation Houston
$175,000
Mort Topfer Castletop Capital Finance Austin
$174,500
Peter O'Donnell Jr. First National Bank-Dallas Finance Dallas
$165,000
Charles Butt HEB Grocery Miscellaneous San Antonio
$162,000
Richard Weekley David Weekley Homes Construction Houston
$161,911
J. Ralph Ellis Jr. Ralph Ellis Co. Energy Irving
$156,500
Robert B. Rowling Tana Oil & Gas Energy Irving
$156,250
Lucien Flournoy Flournoy Production Co. Energy Alice
$151,750
Frank L. Branson Frank L. Branson, P.C. Lawyers/Lobbyists Dallas
$148,180
James Flores Ocean Energy Energy Houston
$147,000
John McGovern McGovern Allergy Clinic Health Houston
$169,750
Randall Goss U.S. Risk Insurance Group Insurance Dallas
$143,500
George Hixon Hixon Properties Energy San Antonio
$142,250
James Dannenbaum Dannenbaum Engineering Construction Houston
$141,900
Ned Holmes Parkway Investments/TX Real Estate Houston
$139,538
Nicholas Kralj Nicholas Kralj Lawyers/Lobbyists Austin
$137,133
Charles Miller Meridian Advisors Finance Houston
$136,350
Mikal Watts Watts & Heard Lawyers/Lobbyists Corpus
$132,721
David Hartman Hartland Bank Finance Austin
$130,900
Woody Hunt Hunt Building Corp. Construction El Paso
$129,038
Michael Stevens Michael Stevens Interests Construction Houston
$126,399
Chaz Glace Chasco Investments Construction Round Rock
$119,000
Charles Tate Hicks Muse Tate & Furst Finance Dallas
$118,500
Reed S. Morian D X Service Co. Chemicals Houston
$117,250
William Clements Jr. Southeastern Drilling Co. Energy Dallas
$116,650
Dee Kelly Kelly Hart & Hallman Lawyers/Lobbyists Fort Worth
$115,350
Sid Bass Bass Bros. Enterprises Energy Fort Worth
$114,050
Thomas Hicks Hicks Muse Tate & Furst Finance Dallas
$112,500
     
TOTAL:
$24,895,010
        Note: Contributions includes money given by immediate family members.
        *Includes "Sanchez Spousal Trust."
 
 

Top Institutional Donors
Two institutional donors already have spent more than $1 million apiece to influence Texas elections in this election cycle. These are the Washington-based Republican National State Elections Committee ($1.1 million) and the Texas Association of Realtors (just over $1 million).
 

Economic Interests of 'The Texas 30'
Interest Amount
  Percent 
Lawyers/Lobbyists 
$4,783,031
44%
Partisan PACs
$1,847,222 
17%
Real Estate
$1,023,987 
10%
Health
$913,799 
9%
Communications
$479,771 
4%
Energy
$475,108 
4%
Ideological
$444,473 
4%
Labor
$409,724 
4%
Transportation
$372,151 
3%
TOTALS:
  $10,749,266 
100%
Lawyers & Lobbyists ranked No. 1 among Texas’ top 30 institutional donors, supplying $4.8 million, or 44 percent of the total from top institutional donors. Ten corporate law firms, led by Fulbright & Jaworski ($687,661), led this sector, accounting for 72 percent of the Lawyers & Lobbyists money. Two plaintiff law firms (led by Provost & Umphrey ($572,540) and two plaintiff PACs led by the Texas Trial Lawyers Association ($202,130) accounted for 24 percent of this sector’s money. The PAC of a corporate lobby firm, HillCo, supplied the remaining money in this sector ($186,693).

The sole Ideological PAC in the top 30, Texans for Lawsuit Reform ($444,473), also spends its money to support the corporate-defense agenda.

Partisan PACs were the No. 2 source of institutional money. Three GOP PACs accounted for 87 percent of this money. One Democratic PAC, the Washington-based Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ($235,150), spent the other 13 percent.

The only two Labor PACs, representing the Teamsters ($213,435) and a Plumber’s Union local ($196,289), accounted for just 4 percent of the money from the top 30 institutional donors.
 
 

Texas-Sized Institutional Donors
Top 30 Institutional Donors in Texas' 2002 Election Cycle
Donor Interest City Amount
Republican National State Elections Com. Partisan Washington
$1,149,372 
TX Assoc. of Realtors Real Estate Austin
$1,023,987 
†Fulbright & Jaworski Lawyers/Lobbyists Houston
$687,661 
TX Medical Assoc. Health Austin
$590,799 
•Provost & Umphrey Lawyers/Lobbyists Beaumont
$572,540 
†Vinson & Elkins PAC Lawyers/Lobbyists Houston
$568,315 
†Bracewell & Patterson Lawyers/Lobbyists Houston
$477,550 
Texans For Lawsuit Reform PAC Ideological Houston
$444,473 
TX Automobile Dealers Assoc. PAC Transportation Austin
$372,151 
†Haynes & Boone Lawyers/Lobbyists Dallas
$363,100 
TX Bell Employee PAC Communications Austin
$328,921 
Texas Dental PAC Health Austin
$323,000 
†Hughes & Luce Lawyers/Lobbyists Dallas
$309,765 
*Bass Family Energy Fort Worth
$307,701 
Governor Bush Committee Partisan Austin
$290,200 
†Locke Liddell & Sapp Lawyers/Lobbyists Houston
$265,378 
†Jackson Walker Lawyers/Lobbyists Dallas
$255,150 
Democratic Congressional Campaign Com. Partisan Washington
$235,150 
•Gallagher Law Firm Lawyers/Lobbyists Houston
$232,000 
†Winstead Sechrest & Minick Lawyers/Lobbyists Dallas
$219,599 
Internat'l Brotherhood of Teamsters PAC Labor Washington
$213,435 
•TX Trial Lawyers Assoc. Lawyers/Lobbyists Austin
$202,130 
Plumbers Local Union No. 68 PAC Labor Houston
$196,289 
HillCo PAC Lobby Austin
$186,693 
Republican Party of TX Partisan Austin
$172,500 
Reliant Energy (with Entex) PACs Energy Houston
$167,407 
†Thompson & Knight Lawyers/Lobbyists Dallas
$154,000 
AT&T PAC Communications Austin
$150,850 
†Brown McCarroll Lawyers/Lobbyists Austin
$145,150
•Constitutional Defense Fund PAC Lawyers/Lobbyists Port Arthur
$144,000
    TOTAL: $10,749,266
        † Corporate-defense firm.
        • Plaintiff firm.
        *Includes the Bass family's PSEL PAC, Good Government Fund and Texas Progress Fund.
 


1The data miss contributions to the minority of candidates and PACs that do not provide electronic disclosures (see “Luddite Lawmakers,” Texans for Public Justice, May 2001). Conversely, double-counting problems arise when a donor contributes to a PAC that then contributes that same money to another PAC or candidate.

#  #  #

Texans for Public Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit policy & research organization
 which tracks the influence of money in politics.

Lobby Watch | home