November 1, 2002
High Court Candidates
Raise $1 Million A Seat
Even with three candidates sitting out the arms race, 10 surviving major-party
candidates for five Texas Supreme Court spots raised an average of $1 million
per seat. The 10 candidates had raised $4.8 million a week out from Tuesday’s
election (three failed primary candidates had previously raised another
$1.6 million).
Current Candidates' Top Donors
Source |
Amount |
Vinson & ElkinsD |
$171,505
|
Baker BottsD |
$133,155
|
Watts Law FirmP |
$111,500
|
Fleming & AssociatesP |
$93,600
|
Fulbright & JaworskiD |
$86,870
|
Nix Patterson & RoachP |
$80,250
|
Haynes & BooneD |
$63,802
|
Locke Liddell & SappD |
$61,345
|
Texans for Lawsuit Reform |
$60,923
|
TX Medical Assoc. |
$56,406
|
TOTAL:
|
$919,356
|
D = Defense firm; P = Plaintiff firm.
Dominated by lawyers active before the court, 19 percent of this money
came from just 10 sources, including five defense firms and three plaintiff
firms. The other top donors were Texans for Lawsuit Reform and the Texas
Medical Asso-ciation.
Wallace Jefferson and Dale Wainwright raised more than $1 million each
(see table below); a third Republican, Michael Schneider, could clear this
amount by election day. Due to a disclosure loophole, judicial candidates
will not report their last week’s campaign-finance activity until around
the time that the winners take office next January. The only Democrat to
outraise her Republican opponent is Margaret Mirabal, who raised $761,134.
Spending skyrocketed as the election drew near. The 10 candidates spent
$1.4 million in the past month—about twice as much as they raised. The
expenditures of five candidates greatly exceeded the money they received,
with Jim Parsons spending more than three times what he raised last month.
Jefferson, Mirabal and Linda Yanez were the only candidates who reported
more than $100,000 in the bank on October 27, the last day covered in the
latest disclosure reports. •
|
October Dollar Docket
Cases heard by the Texas Supreme Court in October and corresponding contributions
to justices from the parties and/or attorneys.
October 9, 2002
|
Progressive County Mutual Ins. v. |
$5,350
|
Paul Sink |
$0
|
|
|
Patsy Keen v. |
$250
|
Diana Weaver |
$140,374
|
|
|
In the Interest of A.V and J.V. |
$0
|
|
|
Tana Oil & Gas Corp. v. |
$38,195
|
Tom C. McCall & David B. McCall |
$0
|
|
|
October 16, 2002
|
Golden Eagle Archery Inc. v. |
$1,250
|
Ronald Jackson |
$8,140
|
|
|
Tarrant Regional Water Dist. v. |
$131,650
|
Billy Harden Gragg |
$282,236
|
|
|
October 23, 2002
|
First National Bank of Seminole v. |
$5,727
|
Sam P. Hooper |
$0
|
|
|
Geoffrey S. Walker, M.D. v. |
$17,775
|
Bertha Gutierrez |
$0
|
|
|
Herman C. Page v. |
$0
|
Structural Wood Components Inc. |
$0
|
|
|
October 31, 2002
|
Texas Dpt. of Parks and Wildlife v. |
$0
|
Maria and Ray Miranda |
$0
|
|
|
Humble Sand & Gravel Inc. v. |
$90,000
|
Raymond Gomez, et al. |
$107,850
|
|
|
Sheffield Development Co. Inc. v. |
$35,085
|
Glenn Heights |
$0
|
Grand Total for October: |
$864,882
|
|
|
Texas Supreme Court War Chests Inventory, Oct. 26,
2002
Place/
Party |
Candidate |
Total $
Raised |
Raised In
Last Month |
$ Spent In
Last Month |
10/27 Cash
On Hand |
Top Money Source |
CJ/R |
Phillipsi |
$7,716
|
$2,113
|
$3,112
|
$7,116
|
Gov. Bush Committee |
CJ/D |
Baker |
$3,507
|
$150
|
$1,275*
|
$309
|
Banker Doug Cameron |
1/R |
Schneideri |
$938,205
|
$137,679
|
$241,550
|
$57,698
|
Vinson & Elkins |
1/D |
Yanez |
$402,783
|
$40,143
|
$20,595
|
$103,287
|
Watts Law Firm |
2/R |
Wainwright |
$1,031,234
|
$118,213
|
$285,191
|
$84,753
|
Vinson & Elkins |
2/D |
Parsons |
$311,818
|
$64,675
|
$212,420
|
$17,066
|
Nix Patterson & Roach |
3/R |
Jeffersoni |
$1,132,107
|
$101,233
|
$255,907
|
$136,555
|
Vinson & Elkins |
3/D |
Moody |
$232,875
|
$82,460
|
$61,527
|
$13,288
|
Nix Patterson & Roach |
4/D |
Mirabal |
$761,993
|
$157,429
|
$334,432
|
$131,848
|
Fleming & Associates |
4/R |
Smith |
$21,590
|
$3,150
|
$3,173
|
$212
|
Louis Beecherl/Will Perry |
|
TOTALS:
|
$4,843,828
|
$707,245
|
$1,419,182
|
$552,132
|
|
i =
Incumbent; *Includes $722 in expenditures of candidate's personal funds.
|