Who Bankrolls Your Legislators?
New, On-line Report Shows Citizens
Who Funded Their Representatives
Austin, TX: Today Texans for Public Justice released a comprehensive study of fundraising in Texas’ 2006 state elections. This online report, Money in PoliTex, analyzes the $158 million in campaign funds raised by 378 candidates for major statewide offices and the Texas Legislature. The report provides fundraising profiles for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller and 181 lawmakers. Each profile lists an official’s top contributors and breaks down their campaign money by contribution size and the economic interest and geographic location of their donors.
“This report boils down raw Texas Ethics Commission data into a citizen-friendly format,” said Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald. “Following the money is crucial in a state that puts no limit on the amount big donors can contribute to politicians.”
Texas political fundraising continues to escalate. The $158 million raised by statewide and legislative candidates in 2006 is up 32 percent from the $120 million that such candidates raised in the preceding gubernatorial election cycle in 2002.1 From the 2004 to the 2006 election cycle, Texas Senate candidates increased their fundraising 38 percent. House candidates increased their fundraising 39 percent over that same period.2
Money in PoliTex also includes a district-by-district summary of campaign financing and identifies the top individual and institutional donors in the 2006 election cycle.
Key Money in PoliTex findings include:
- 378 major candidates raised $158 million for 173 legislative and top statewide offices in the 2006 election cycle;
- The candidates who won these 173 races accounted for two-thirds of all the money raised by candidates seeking these offices ($105 million).
- 142 powerful individuals who contributed totals exceeding $100,000 apiece accounted for an overall total of $52 million in donations.3
- 132 institutional donors that contributed totals exceeding $150,000 apiece accounted for an overall total of $65 million in donations.
- The largest interest group, Lawyers and Lobbyists, accounted for 15 percent of the money raised by candidates seeking these offices ($23 million).
- Single contribution checks of $10,000 or more accounted for 30 percent of all the money raised ($48 million).
- House candidates raised 81 percent of their campaign funds outside their districts ($48 million).
- Senate candidates raised 70 percent of their money outside their districts ($14 million).
- 9 percent of the total money raised ($14 million) arrived on the so-called “Late Train” that ran between the November 7, 2006 Election Day and the start of the January 2007 legislative session.
Money in PoliTex: A Guide to Money in the 2006 Texas Elections is available on-line at http://www.tpj.org.
Money in PoliTex was prepared by Nhu Truong with assistance from Kathryn Olson, Sean Chitty, Omair Khan, Lauren Reinlie and Andrew Wheat.
1 This excludes an extraordinary total of $68 million in personal funds that Tony Sanchez and David Dewhurst spent on their 2002 campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor.
2 In the 2004 cycle Senate candidates raised a total of $20 million and House candidates raised a total of $43 million.
3 In some cases this money includes contributions by a big donor’s spouse.
Texans for Public Justice is a non-partisan, non-profit policy & research
organization that tracks money and influence in Texas politics.
