The Morning After: Last-Minute Contributions In Texas’ 2002 Primary Elections
III. The Morning After the Runoff
| [ The Morning After: Last-Minute Contributions In Texas’ 2002 Primary Elections III. The Morning After the Runoff |
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Twenty-two candidates with primaries that had to be decided in runoff elections raised $1.2 million more for their runoffs, of which $501,495 (41 percent) eluded public scrutiny by moving in the last nine days of the election. Of these late funds, $178,638 (36 percent) flowed in the last two days of the campaign, when contributions are typically not reported until months after the election is over. The accompanying graph plots the daily amount of money that these candidates raised in the last 12 days of the 2002 runoffs. Note that contributions shot up on April 1, 2002, the day after candidates began filing their oft-overlooked telegram reports. Another major spike occurs the day before the election. Contributions made on that day typically are not disclosed until a couple of months after the election is over.
Top recipients
The 10 candidates who benefited the most from this late-flowing money (see table) received $456,801 of it, or 91 percent of all covert runoff cash. Supreme Court candidate Dale Wainwright was the No. 1 recipient of this money; his opponent, Elizabeth Ray, ranked No. 3 and Court of Criminal Appeals hopeful Timothy Taft also ranked in the top 10 recipients of this late money. Late judicial money is especially disturbing since judicial candidates do not file telegram reports, thereby assuring that their late money goes undisclosed until months after the polls close.The remaining top recipients of runoff late money are legislative candidates, led by Senate contender Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa. Tracy King was the top House candidate, followed by Jodie Laubenberg.
Of the top-10 recipients, House candidate Jodie Laubenberg was the most dependent on late money, which accounted for 90 percent of her runoff war chest. Taft, King and Wainwright also relied on late money for more than half of their runoff funds.
Note: SC = Supreme Court, S = Senate, H = House, CCA = Court of Criminal Appeals.
Runoff's Top 10 Morning-After Candidates Candidate All Runoff
Money RaisedLast-9-Day
MoneyLast-9-Day
Money (%)Party Office
(Dist.)Share of
Vote (%)Dale Wainwright 61% R SC 55% Juan Hinojosa 43% D S-20 55% Elizabeth Ray 17% R SC 45% Tracy O. King 62% D H-80 48% Jodie Laubenberg 90% R H-89 53% Timothy Taft 69% R CCA 42% Maria Luisa Flores 45% D H-51 49% Martha Wong 41% R H-134 51% Mike Lawshe 26% R H-89 47% Jack Stick 48% R H-50 69% 46% Top donors
The top donor of runoff late money was Houston appeals judge Timothy Taft, who contributed to his own failed bid for a seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals. The No. 2 source of late runoff money was Texans for a Republican Majority, which sought to influence Republican primaries. This PAC’s top donor is tort warrior James Leininger (who directly contributed $5,000 in late runoff money to Jodie Laubenberg). No. 3 donor Joseph Phillips heads Phillips Properties, which owns a chain of gas-station convenience stores.While plaintiff lawyers ranked among the top late donors in the primary, they did not make the top-10 runoff list, which is dominated by corporate defense interests that primarily gave to judicial candidates. Texas’ top two business PACs that promote weaker tort laws, the Texas Civil Justice League and Texans for Lawsuit Reform, both appear on this list, as do the corporate defense firms Beirne Maynard & Parsons and Vinson & Elkins. Another major supporter of weak liability laws, homebuilder Bob Perry, also appears on this list.
Finally, the oil-rich Bass family covered all of its bases in the Texas Supreme Court runoff. The Bass-controlled Texas Progress Fund gave $5,000 to Dale Wainwright on April 2, 2002. That same day another Bass political fund, the PSEL PAC, gave $5,000 to Elizabeth Ray, Wainwright’s failed runoff opponent.
Runoff's Top Morning-After Contributors Donor City Interest Amount Top Recipient Timothy Taft Houston Appeals judge $22,000 Timothy Taft (self) Texans for a Republican Majority Austin GOP $22,000 Gattis/Laubenberg Joseph F. Phillips Mission Convenience stores $20,000 Juan Hinojosa Texas Civil Justice League Austin Weaker tort laws $19,582 Dale Wainwright William B. 'Dub' Yarborough Midland Oil & ranching $10,500 Tracy King Beirne Maynard & Parsons Houston Corporate lawyers $10,000 Dale Wainwright Bass Family Ft. Worth Diversified oil fortune $10,000 Ray/Wainwright Bob Perry Houston Homebuilding $8,000 Mark Cole Texans For Lawsuit Reform Houston Weaker tort laws $7,500 Dale Wainwright Vinson & Elkins Dallas Corporate lawyers $7,000 Dale Wainwright TOTALS: $136,582
