Speaker's Bureau: |
November 19, 2008 |
TRMPAC Donors Moved
Another
$2 Million
To Craddick PACs
Since Tom Craddick became House Speaker in 2003—with a little help from his friends at Tom DeLay’s now-indicted Texans for a Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC)—65 former TRMPAC donors have given almost $2 million to the two main PACs defending Craddick’s tenuous grasp on the Speaker’s gavel.
Craddick’s campaign committee and Stars Over Texas—a PAC operated by Craddick’s daughter to elect Craddick-friendly House members—have received a total of $1.9 million since 2003 from 65 donors who gave $981,825 to TRMPAC. These donors accounted for a commanding 66 percent of TRMPAC’s war chest.1
"Topping the list are eight donors who gave a total of at least $110,000 to Craddick, Stars Over Texas and TRMPAC (see final table). School-voucher activist James Leininger led, giving almost $400,000 to the Craddick machine. Homebuilder Bob Perry, the corporate sponsor of the Texas Residential Construction Commission, gave $310,000 to the three PACs that built and maintain Craddick’s House. Farmers Insurance, a champion of Texas’ runaway homeowners premiums, ranked No. 3. Texas’ largest lobby force, AT&T, came next, followed by natural-resources wheeler dealer T. Boone Pickens. Then came the vice squad: gambling company Maxxam, Budweiser distributor Silver Eagle and nuclear-waste kingpin Harold Simmons.
While the top donors to the Craddick machine are hyperactive in the Texas legislature, corporate interests that wanted to curry favor with DeLay in Congress dominate the big TRMPAC donors who have not supported Craddick since 2003. Many of them have little interest in the Texas Speaker’s race.
Top TRMPAC Donors
Not Funding Craddick PACs
Total To TRMPAC |
Contributor |
$100,000 |
Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care |
$75,000 |
Americans for a Republican Majority |
$50,000 |
Diversified Collection Services, Inc. |
$50,000 |
Questerra Corp. |
$25,000 |
Old Country Store, Inc. |
$25,000 |
Preston Gates Ellis |
$25,000 |
Sears Roebuck & Co. |
$25,000 |
Westar Energy |
$25,000 |
Williams Companies, Inc. |
$20,000 |
Bacardi USA, Inc. |
$20,000 |
UPS, PAC |
$15,000 |
Perfect Wave Technologies |
$13,126 |
Texas Association of Business |
$10,000 |
John W. Barger (Barger Broadcast) |
TRMPAC Donors Who Also Gave to Craddick or Stars Over Texas
Total To TRMPAC, Craddick & SOT PAC |
TRM PAC Total |
Craddick Campaign Total Since 2003 |
Stars Over TX (SOT) PAC Total Since 2003 |
Contributor | Interest |
$391,279 |
$107,500 |
$644 |
$283,135 |
James Leininger | KCI, Inc. |
$310,000 |
$170,000 |
$50,000 |
$90,000 |
Bob J. Perry | Perry Homes |
$220,000 |
$150,000 |
$45,000 |
$25,000 |
Farmers Insurance PAC | Farmers Insurance |
$173,500 |
$20,000 |
$153,500 |
$0 |
AT&T* | AT&T |
$152,674 |
$55,000 |
$97,674 |
$0 |
T. Boone Pickens | BP Capital |
$125,000 |
$5,000 |
$25,000 |
$95,000 |
Maxxam, Inc.* | Maxxam, Inc. |
$120,323 |
$5,000 |
$76,829 |
$38,494 |
Silver Eagle/John Nau* | Silver Eagle Distributors |
$110,000 |
$10,000 |
$90,000 |
$10,000 |
Harold Simmons/Contran* | Contran Corp. |
$106,000 |
$51,000 |
$40,000 |
$15,000 |
Burlington Northern* | Burlington Northern |
$93,000 |
$35,000 |
$38,000 |
$20,000 |
Louis Beecherl | Beecherl Companies |
$78,664 |
$5,000 |
$52,663 |
$21,001 |
Locke Lord Bissell | Locke Lord Bissell |
$60,000 |
$30,000 |
$10,000 |
$20,000 |
Belmont Oil/Ralph Ellis* | Belmont Oil |
$60,000 |
$5,000 |
$35,000 |
$20,000 |
Peter O'Donnell, Jr. | O'Donnell Foundation |
$55,000 |
$5,000 |
$45,000 |
$5,000 |
Robert B. Rowling | TRT Holdings, Inc. |
$54,000 |
$50,000 |
$4,000 |
$0 |
El Paso Energy* | El Paso Energy |
$53,500 |
$27,500 |
$26,000 |
$0 |
Constellation Energy* | Constellation Energy |
$50,250 |
$250 |
$30,000 |
$20,000 |
Gulf States Toyota* | Gulf States Toyota |
$50,000 |
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
$0 |
Reliant Resources* | Reliant Resources |
$44,000 |
$25,000 |
$19,000 |
$0 |
Philip Morris/Altria* | Philip Morris/Altria |
$42,500 |
$5,000 |
$37,500 |
$0 |
Ray L. Hunt | Hunt Oil Co. |
$37,500 |
$10,000 |
$7,500 |
$20,000 |
Ben Streusand | Home Loan Corp. |
$33,000 |
$3,000 |
$30,000 |
$0 |
KOCH PAC | Koch Industries |
$26,000 |
$16,000 |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
James A. Elkins, Jr. | Elkins Investments |
$25,500 |
$25,000 |
$0 |
$500 |
John V. Lattimore, Jr. | Lattimore Materials |
$24,500 |
$10,000 |
$13,500 |
$1,000 |
Vance C. Miller | Harry S. Miller Co. |
$24,260 |
$1,000 |
$10,000 |
$13,260 |
Peter Holt | Holt Cat; SA Spurs |
$24,250 |
$250 |
$0 |
$24,000 |
Rep. Phil King | Texas House |
$21,000 |
$10,000 |
$6,000 |
$5,000 |
Sam Wyly | Ranger Capital |
$20,000 |
$10,000 |
$10,000 |
$0 |
Charles Miller | Meridian Advisors |
$20,000 |
$10,000 |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
Charles J. Wyly, Jr. | Ranger Capital |
$19,000 |
$15,000 |
$1,000 |
$3,000 |
David M. Underwood | Wachovia Securities |
$17,500 |
$1,500 |
$13,500 |
$2,500 |
TX Package Stores* | TX Package Stores Assn. |
$16,657 |
$1,500 |
$0 |
$15,157 |
Rep. Geanie Morrison | Texas House |
$15,000 |
$5,000 |
$10,000 |
$0 |
James D. Pitcock, Jr. | Wms. Bros. Construct. |
$15,000 |
$5,000 |
$10,000 |
$0 |
RDM/Drayton McLane* | RDM Enterprises |
$14,937 |
$1,000 |
$8,937 |
$5,000 |
Charlie Geren | Texas House of Representatives |
$12,500 |
$10,000 |
$0 |
$2,500 |
Cornell Companies* | Cornell Companies |
$12,500 |
$10,000 |
$0 |
$2,500 |
Houston H. Harte | Harte-Hanks Com. |
$12,000 |
$10,000 |
$2,000 |
$0 |
U.S. Risk/Randy Goss* | U.S. Risk |
$11,001 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$10,001 |
Rep. Fred Hill | Texas House |
$10,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$9,000 |
Rep. Will Hartnett | Texas House |
$10,000 |
$7,500 |
$0 |
$2,500 |
George C. Hixon | Hixon Properties |
$7,500 |
$2,500 |
$0 |
$5,000 |
Walter M. Embrey | Embrey Partners Ltd. |
$7,000 |
$2,000 |
$0 |
$5,000 |
Sen. Bob Deuell | Texas Senate |
$7,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$6,000 |
Rep. Robert E. Talton | Texas House |
$6,000 |
$5,000 |
$0 |
$1,000 |
Ebby Halliday Acers | Ebby Halliday Acres Realty |
$6,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$5,000 |
Rep. Tony Goolsby | Texas House |
$6,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$5,000 |
Rep. Kenny Marchant | U.S. Congress |
$6,000 |
$5,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
Frederick R. Meyer | Retired |
$5,200 |
$200 |
$0 |
$5,000 |
Elvira Reyna | Ex-Texas House member |
$5,000 |
$2,500 |
$2,500 |
$0 |
PacifiCare Health* | PacifiCare Health |
$4,500 |
$2,500 |
$1,000 |
$1,000 |
J.J. Collmer | Collmer Semiconductor |
$4,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$3,000 |
Arlene Wohlgemuth | Lobbyist |
$3,850 |
$100 |
$0 |
$3,750 |
Rep. Jerry A. Madden | Texas House |
$3,500 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$2,500 |
Rep. Larry Taylor | Texas House |
$2,750 |
$2,500 |
$0 |
$250 |
B.J. ‘Red’ McCombs | Red McCombs Automotive |
$2,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$1,000 |
Rep. Betty Brown | Texas House |
$2,000 |
$1,000 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
Bruce LaBoon | Locke Lord Bissell |
$1,500 |
$1,000 |
$0 |
$500 |
Rep. John E. Davis | Texas House Corp. |
$1,250 |
$500 |
$750 |
$0 |
Dionel E. Aviles | Aviles Engineering |
$1,250 |
$250 |
$0 |
$1,000 |
Patrick Oxford | Bracewell & Giuliani |
$750 |
$250 |
$500 |
$0 |
Weldon R. Denman | Denman & Co. |
$400 |
$200 |
$200 |
$0 |
George Strake, Jr. | Strake Foundation |
$325 |
$225 |
$0 |
$100 |
Scott E. Kercheville | Tejas Anesthesia Assoc. |
$200 |
$100 |
$0 |
$100 |
Barbara S. Patton | Volunteer |
$2,855,770 |
$981,825 |
$1,040,197 |
$833,748 |
TOTALS |
Note: Covers contributions reported up until the eve of the November 2008 election.
*Corporate contributor to TRMPAC (an affiliated PAC or executive gave to Craddick and/or Stars Over Texas). Most corporate donations occurred in 2002 and were reported to the IRS but not to the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC). After the scandal over TRMPAC’s corporate money broke, TRMPAC reported three corporate donations to the TEC in late 2003 and early 2004 ($25,000 from Burlington Northern, $10,000 from Contran and $5,000 from Belmont Oil).
1 TRMPAC reported $894,126 to the Texas Ethics Commission and another $602,300 in legally questionable corporate money to the Internal Revenue Service for a total of almost $1.5 million.
