[ Report Home | Previous Page | Next Page ] Texas PACs 2000 Election Cycle Republican: $5,921,437

The $5.9 million spent by 115 Republican PACs in the 2000 cycle was down more than $1 million from what these PACs spent in 1998. The Republican Party of Texas put out less than half of what the Texas Democratic Party spent. The Republican Party, however, relies on a much greater base of secondary PACs. Even when these PACs are at odds, they all support GOP candidates.

The Associated Republicans of Texas, for example, was established to counteract the influence of right-wing extremists on the Texas GOP. Representing such hard-core conservatives, the Free Enterprise PAC raised its money from such ultraconservatives as James Leininger, ex-Electrospace Systems executives James Lightner and Bob Carrel and Interstate Batteries chair Norm Miller. This PAC’s efforts to steer state government to the far right during 2000 often misfired. Free Enterprise made independent expenditures of $25,000 or more on behalf of the GOP challengers to six incumbent Democratic legislators.¹³  All of these challenges failed except that of new Rep. Sid Miller—who knocked out incumbent David Lengefeld. The PAC’s sponsorship of failed primary challengers to GOP incumbents (whom it deemed to be too moderate)¹⁴ triggered a backlash from other Republicans.
 

Justice Eugene “Gigabyte” Cook A small Republican PAC commanded an extraordinary ratio of computing power to political activity. Ex-Texas Supreme Court Justice Eugene Cook used $70,442 left over in his Supreme Court coffers to create Alamo One PAC. Alamo One spent $11,703 in 2000, most which went to such GOP committees and candidates. But Cook also spent $4,420 on a powerful new computer that is ostensibly for his sleepy little PAC.

The 6th District Republican Association takes its name from Rep. Joe Barton’s Fort Worth-area congressional district. Rep. Barton’s campaign fund was this PAC’s biggest donor ($55,000), followed by Andarko Petroleum Chair Robert Allison, Jr. ($25,000). The PAC spent its funds on conservative Texas GOP candidates, including many supported by the Free Enterprise PAC. Finally, Conservative Republicans of Harris County is linked to Dr. Steven Hotze, a religious-right activist in Houston.¹⁵