Power Brokers: |
October 04, 2002 |
50 People, 30 Institutions
Supply 26% of TX Political Money
-
These 80 Donors Already Spent $35.6 Million In 2002 Cycle
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 committees (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 individual donors and another 8 percent coming from 30 top institutional donors (see tables).
| Interest | ||
| Energy | $15,907,464 |
|
| Construction | $2,416,998 |
|
| Finance | $1,636,720 |
|
| Chemicals | $1,011,750 |
|
| Health | $993,256 |
|
| Lawyers/Lobbyists | $763,884 |
|
| Real Estate | $593,288 |
|
| Agriculture | $544,150 |
|
| Transportation | $457,000 |
|
| Communications | $265,000 |
|
| Miscellaneous | $162,000 |
|
| Insurance | $143,500 |
|
TOTAL: |
$24,895,010 |
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 |
*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).
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.
| Interest | Amount |
|
| Lawyers/Lobbyists | $4,783,031 |
|
| Partisan PACs | $1,847,222 |
|
| Real Estate | $1,023,987 |
|
| Health | $913,799 |
|
| Communications | $479,771 |
|
| Energy | $475,108 |
|
| Ideological | $444,473 |
|
| Labor | $409,724 |
|
| Transportation | $372,151 |
|
TOTALS: |
$10,749,266 |
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 |
‡ Plaintiff firm.
*Includes the Bass family's PSEL PAC, Good Government Fund and Texas Progress Fund.
1 The 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.
