Operation Vouchsafe:

November 16, 2006

Dr. Leininger Injects $5 Million Into Election;
Many Candidates Fail On His Life Support

 

Texas’ No. 2 individual political donor, conservative Republican activist Dr. James Leininger, injected more than $5 million into Texas state politics this election cycle—none of which went to a Democrat. This spending quadrupled what Leininger pumped into previous state elections.

Leininger Spending Quadruples

Election
Cycle
Leininger
Contributions
2001-2002
$1,346,850
2003-2004
$1,311,142
2005-2006
$5,044,006

Leininger spent heavily going into the primaries to promote conservative challengers to moderate Republicans who had stiffed his school-voucher agenda. Yet his aggressive checkbook politics flunked this year’s primary and general elections. The next legislature looks even less receptive to vouchers than its predecessor.

Meanwhile, Leininger’s meddling has fostered support for a pending bill (HB 111) that would bar any individual from dumping more than $100,000 into an election cycle.

Leininger moved $1,819,564 of his money directly, while funneling $3.2 million more through three pet PACs that depended on him for 98 percent of their funds. To track the final destination of Leininger’s money, this report treats contributions made by these three Leininger-controlled PACs (Texas Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, Future of Texas Alliance and Texans for School Choice) as if they came directly from Leininger himself.

Leininger contributed $1,557,531 of his $5 million total to 14 general-purpose PACs that he does not control. These conservative PACs bolster Texas’ Republican majority, push vouchers, seek weaker tort laws and oppose gay unions and abortion.

Leininger-Controlled PACs

 Political Action Committee
Total
Raised In
’06 Cycle
Total
From
Leininger
Leininger's
Share of
Total
 TX Republican Legislative Campaign Comm.
$2,360,807
$2,358,707
99%
 Future of TX Alliance
$682,445
$620,000
91%
 Texans for School Choice
$181,190
$180,000
99%
 TOTALS:
$3,224,442
$3,158,707
98%

 

Leininger's Other Favorite PACs

Amounts of
Contributions
 Recipient PAC  Description
$425,102
 Republican Party of TX  Republican
$390,000
 Texans For Lawsuit Reform  Weak tort laws
$300,000
 Associated Republicans of TX  Republican business PAC
$135,000
 Stars Over TX  Backs House Republicans
$100,000
 Texans FOR Marriage  Anti-gay marriage
$91,100
 TX Opportunity PAC  Backs conservative Republicans
$89,244
 All Children Matter, TX  Vouchers
$13,000
 TX Club for Growth  Backs conservative Republicans
$12,000
 TX Right To Life PAC  Anti-Abortion
$1,000
 TX Alliance for Life  Anti-Abortion

Leininger gave his remaining $3.5 million to 64 Republican candidates, with 90 percent of this money going to House candidates. Twenty losers accounted for 59 percent of Leininger’s total candidate contributions.

Leininger Contributions By Outcome


 Outcome
Leininger
Amount
Number of
Recipients
Average
Contribution
% of
Money
 Winners
$1,431,443
43
$33,289
41%
 Losers
$2,050,032
20
$102,502
59%
 No ’06 Election
$5,000
1
$5,000
<1%
 TOTALS:
$3,486,475
64
$54,476
100%

Candidates who lost in the GOP primary ate up 47 percent of all the money that Leininger gave to candidates in the 2006 cycle. Of the 10 House candidates that received $50,000 or more from Leininger, five perished in the primary and just two survived the general. These two winners, Nathan Macias and Wayne Christian, may not have survived with their independence intact.

Both candidates amassed war chests of more than $500,000 apiece, with Leininger providing 84 percent of Macias’ total and 85 percent of Christian’s. Leininger also bankrolled a stunning 96 percent of the $542,130 that Mark Williams raised for his failed primary challenge to incumbent Tommy Merritt of Longview.

Doctored Candidates:
Leininger Underwrote Major Shares of These Campaigns

 House Candidate
Office
Total
Raised
In ’06 Cycle
Amount
From
Leininger
Share
From
Leininger
Incumbency
Status
Outcome
 Mark Williams
H-7
$542,130
$519,030
96%
Challenger
Primary Loser
 Van Wilson
H-83
$578,982
$503,366
87%
Challenger
Primary Loser
 Nathan Macias
H-73
$542,422
$461,464
85%
Challenger
Winner
 Wayne Christian
H-9
$537,186
$452,804
84%
Challenger
Winner
 Chris Hatley
H-99
$324,837
$255,478
79%
Challenger
Primary Loser
 Dale Hopkins
H-54
$310,025
$249,816
81%
Open Seat
Primary Loser
 George Antuna
H-118
$695,543
$165,000
24%
Open Seat
Loser
 Talmadge Heflin
H-149
$631,970
$83,000
13%
Challenger
Loser
 Kent Grusendorf
H-94
$466,098
$54,122
12%
Incumbent
Primary Loser
 Michael Esparaza
H-35
$296,484
$50,000
17%
Challenger
Loser
 Nelson Balido
H-125
$181,448
$40,000
22%
Challenger
Loser
 TOTALS:
$5,107,125
$2,834,080
55%

 

Leininger Contributions By Incumbency Status

 Status
Amount of
Contributions
Number of
Recipients
Average
Contribution
% of
Money
 Challenger
$2,421,142
11
$220,104
69%
 Open Seat
$542,938
15
$36,196
16%
 Incumbent
$522,395
38
$13,747
15%
 TOTALS:
$3,486,475
64
$54,476
100%

The heavy attrition rate of Leininger’s candidates reflects his high-stakes strategy of trying to replace incumbents who resisted his voucher agenda with candidates who will play his game. Challengers accounted for almost 70 percent of all the money that Leininger gave to candidates.

Placing his biggest electoral bet to date, Leininger largely crapped out. With a couple notable exceptions this appears to leave vouchers to stand—or fall—next session on the merits.■

Leininger Contributions by Office

 Office
Leininger
Total
Number of
Recipients
Average
Contribution
% of
Money
 House
$3,071,345
38
$80,825
88%
 Senate
$65,000
4
$16,250
2%
 Statewide*
$293,130
10
$29,313
8%
 Judicial*
$57,000
12
$4,750
2%
 TOTALS:
$3,486,475
64
$54,476
100%
*Statewide judicial candidates are categorized as “Judicial.”

 

All Leininger-Backed Candidates In the 2006 Cycle

Leininger
Total In
2006 Cycle
 Candidate
Office-District
Incumbency
Status
Outcome
$519,030
 Mark Williams
House-7
Challenger
Primary Loser
$503,366
 Van Wilson
House-83
Challenger
Primary Loser
$461,464
 Nathan Macias
House-73
Challenger
Winner
$452,804
 Wayne Christian
House-9
Challenger
Winner
$255,478
 Chris Hatley
House-99
Challenger
Primary Loser
$249,816
 Dale Hopkins
House-54
Open Seat
Primary Loser
$165,000
 George Antuna
House-118
Open Seat
Loser
$100,000
 David Dewhurst
Lt. Governor
Incumbent
Winner
$83,000
 Talmadge Heflin
House-149
Challenger
Loser
$60,664
 Greg Abbott
Attorney General
Incumbent
Winner
$57,466
 Rick Perry
Governor
Incumbent
Winner
$54,122
 Kent Grusendorf
House-94
Incumbent
Primary Loser
$50,000
 Michael Esparaza
House-35
Challenger
Loser
$40,000
 Nelson Balido
House-125
Challenger
Loser
$35,000
 Ken Mercer
Education Board-5
Challenger
Winner
$26,574
 Betty Brown
House-4
Incumbent
Winner
$25,000
 Glenn Hegar
Senate-18
Open Seat
Winner
$25,000
 Martha Wong
House-134
Incumbent
Loser
$25,000
 Dan Patrick
Senate-7
Open Seat
Winner
$23,000
 Gene Seaman
House-32
Incumbent
Loser
$21,220
 Scott Campbell
House-72
Incumbent
Primary Loser
$20,000
 Ben Bentzin
House-48
Challenger
Withdrew
$19,949
 David Swinfold
House-87
Incumbent
Winner
$15,000
 Rob Beckham
House-71
Open Seat
Primary Loser
$13,547
 Brandon Creighton
House-16
Open Seat
Winner
$10,000
 Don Willett
Supreme Court
Incumbent
Winner
$10,000
 Jane Nelson
Senate-12
Incumbent
Winner
$10,000
 Elizabeth A. Jones
Railroad Com.
Incumbent
Winner
$10,000
 Cynthia Dunbar
Education Board-10
Open Seat
Winner
$10,000
 Susan Combs
Comptroller
Open Seat
Winner
$8,075
 Tan Parker
House-63
Open Seat
Winner
$7,920
 Charlie Howard
House-26
Incumbent
Winner
$7,000
 Linda Harper-Brown
House-105
Incumbent
Winner
$6,016
 Dan Flynn
House-2
Incumbent
Winner
$5,202
 Anna Mowery
House-97
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Marialyn Barnard
District Judge-225
Open Seat
Loser
$5,000
 Karen Angelini
Appeals Court-4
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Victor Carrillo
Railroad Com.
Incumbent
NA
$5,000
 Bob Deuell
Senate-2
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Rene Diaz
District Judge-224
Incumbent
Loser
$5,000
 Nathan Hecht
Supreme Court
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Jim Landtroop
House-85
Open Seat
Loser
$5,000
 Jodie Laubenberg
House-89
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Janet Littlejohn
District Judge-150
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 David Medina
Supreme Court
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 David Puryear
Appeals Court-3
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Elvira Reyna
House-101
Incumbent
Primary Loser
$5,000
 Alan Waldrop
Appeals Court-3
Incumbent
Winner
$5,000
 Will Wilson
Appeals Court-3
Open Seat
Loser
$3,500
 Joe Straus
House-121
Incumbent
Winner
$3,287
 Leo Berman
House-6
Incumbent
Winner
$2,959
 Joe Crabb
House-127
Incumbent
Winner
$2,882
 Fred Hill
House-112
Incumbent
Winner
$2,500
 Jerry Patterson
Land Com.
Incumbent
Winner
$2,500
 Todd Staples
Agriculture Com.
Open Seat
Winner
$2,000
 Dan Branch
House-108
Incumbent
Winner
$2,000
 Patricia Harless
House-126
Open Seat
Winner
$2,000
 Bill Zedler
House-96
Incumbent
Winner
$2,000
 John Zerwas
House-28
Open Seat
Winner
$1,346
 Larry Phillips
House-62
Incumbent
Winner
$1,000
 Phylis Speedlin
Appeals Court-4
Incumbent
Winner
$1,000
 Diane Rivera
District Judge-45
Challenger
Loser
$1,000
 Mike Krusee
House-52
Incumbent
Winner
$787
 Rob Eissler
House-15
Incumbent
Winner