To track where all this off-season “campaign” money went, researchers classified the $9.5 million studied here into a dozen spending categories. The top five of these categories (Staff & Consultants, Rent Payments, Travel & Lodging, Administrative/Office, and Gifts/Charitable Contributions) consumed 70 percent of all officeholder expenditures in early 2007.

 

Total Expenditures by Categories

Category	Totals For All Officeholders	Totals For 6 Statewide Officials	Totals For Senators	Totals For House Members
Staff & Consultants	$2,668,221	$1,145,590	$472,382	$1,050,250
Rent Payments	$1,078,882	$157,563	$346,667	$574,652
Travel & Lodging	$1,013,145	$228,910	$336,030	$448,205
Administrative/Office Expenses	$997,866	$180,956	$280,783	$537,047
Gifts/Charitable Contributions	$936,777	$34,259	$346,704	$555,815
Campaign-Related Expenditures	$767,134	$148,432	$145,806	$471,975
Food, Drinks & Events	$704,453	$53,351	$253,265	$397,837
Miscellaneous	$587,146	$159,648	$165,123	$262,375
Unspecified Loans	$382,328	$158,310	$113,278	$110,741
Political Contributions	$252,263	$22,460	$126,830	$102,973
Unknown	$79,042	$2,250	$19,123	$57,668
Unitemized Credit Cards	$56,663	$0	$0	$56,663
TOTALS:	$9,523,921	$2,291,729	$2,605,991	$4,626,201

 

The share of political money spent on these different categories varied considerably between the three kinds of state offices studied—with the biggest differences separating statewide from legislative officeholders. Statewide officeholders are more centralized in Austin than legislators, who typically maintain a presence in Austin and in their districts. So many lawmakers spend a greater share of their political funds on Rent Payments to establish themselves in more than one place. Proportionally, the more centralized operations of statewide officials conserve on rent costs but spend a greater share of their money on Staff & Consultants to extend their political reach across the state.

Many gray areas blur the lines between the spending categories used here. Some of this grayness is a function of poor disclosure by officials. In other cases it is the nature of the beast. The same officeholder may make two payments to the same consulting firm, listing one of the expenditures for a “mailing” and the other for “consulting.” The first would be classified in this schema as a “Campaign-Related Expenditure” and the other under “Staff & Consultants.” Behind the veil of disclosure, both payments might have been used for the exact same purpose. Officeholders can—and will—split these gray hairs. On the whole, however, these classifications reveal real differences in how various officials choose to spend their political funds.

 

---

1. Staff & Consultants	5. Gifts/Charitable Contributions	9. Unspecified Loans
2. Rent Payments	6. Campaign-Related Expenditures	10. Political Contributions
3. Travel & Lodging	7. Food, Drinks & Events	11. Unknown
4. Administrative/Office Expenses	8. Miscellaneous	12. Unitemized Credit Cards

---

 

Overall payments to Staff & Consultants consumed 28 percent of political spending in early 2007. Statewide officeholders spent half of their political funds on personnel, a share that dropped to 18 percent for the average senator.

 

 

Biggest Spenders on Staff & Consultants

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Dewhurst, David	R	Lt. Governor	$739,136	67%
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$259,089	44%
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$182,865	40%
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$94,568	26%
Watson, Kirk	D	Senate-14	$67,931	59%
O'Day, Mike	R	House-29	$59,471	42%
King, Phillip	R	House-61	$57,859	50%
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$51,714	38%
Miller, Sid	R	House-59	$49,540	69%
Combs, Susan	R	Comptroller	$45,406	30%
Keffer, James	R	House-60	$40,600	79%
Pitts, Jim	R	House-10	$36,105	47%
Rose, Patrick	D	House-45	$31,248	54%
West, Royce	D	Senate-23	$29,249	28%
Janek, Kyle	R	Senate-17	$28,995	23%
Williams, Tommy	R	Senate-4	$24,807	35%
Gallegos, Mario	D	Senate-6	$24,000	39%
Shapleigh, Eliot	D	Senate-29	$23,982	26%
Straus, Joe	R	House-121	$23,765	50%
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$23,482	16%

 

 

Largest Single Staff & Consultant Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
LG David Dewhurst	R	$128,800	A.G.I.	Consulting expense
Rep. Michael O'Day	R	$32,600	J2 Strategies	Consultation
Rep. Sidney Miller	R	$20,000	Todd Smith & Assoc.	Consulting
LG David Dewhurst	R	$17,122	John Doner & Assoc.	Computer services
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh	D	$15,000	Vikki Escobar	Contract labor
Rep. Jim Keffer	R	$15,000	Eppstein Group	Consulting fees
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$15,000	Norway Hill Assoc.	General Consulting
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$14,000	Christopher Leonard	Consultant
David Dewhurst	R	$13,530	Buddy Barfield	Consulting services
Rep. Michael O'Day	R	$13,000	Laura Jackson	Labor

                              Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

Taken together, the officeholders spent 11 percent of their funds on Rent Payments, with this share rising to 13 percent for the senators. While much of these rent payments paid for campaign offices, many lawmakers also use political funds to pay Austin housing expenses.

 

Biggest Spenders on Rent Payments

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Dewhurst, David	R	Lt. Governor	$62,684	6%
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$44,980	8%
Brimer, Kim	R	Senate-10	$29,454	30%
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$29,219	8%
West, Royce	D	Senate-23	$27,068	26%
Estes, Craig	R	Senate-30	$26,282	31%
Shapiro, Florence	R	Senate-8	$23,756	30%
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$22,954	16%
Jackson, 'Mike'	R	Senate-11	$17,528	36%
Bonnen, Dennis	R	House-25	$16,046	43%
Lucio III, Eddie	D	House-38	$15,482	25%
O'Day, Mike	R	House-29	$15,319	11%
Van De Putte, Leticia	D	Senate-26	$14,884	25%
Janek, Kyle	R	Senate-17	$14,825	12%
Shapleigh, Eliot	D	Senate-29	$14,700	16%
Combs, Susan	R	Comptroller	$14,593	10%
Hinojosa, Juan	D	Senate-20	$14,509	18%
Wentworth, Jeff	R	Senate-25	$14,397	12%
Giddings, Helen	D	House-109	$13,669	35%
Woolley, Beverly	R	House-136	$13,200	25%

 

 

Largest Single Rent Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
LG David Dewhurst	R	$14,450	TX Assoc. of Counties	Office rent
Rep. Beverly Woolley	R	$13,200	Charles Teeple	Rent for Austin lodging (6 Months)
Sen. Troy Fraser	R	$9,750	Statehouse on Congress	Apartment Lease - 6 months
Sen. Kim Brimer	R	$7,840	Cash America Int. Inc	Campaign office rent (1 year)
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh	D	$7,750	Brian Smith	Apartment lease
Sen. Jane Nelson	R	$5,500	Stewart Lee	Rental
Rep. Michael O'Day	R	$5,400	Signature Accomodations	Apartment rent
AG Greg Abbott	R	$5,103	NNN Lavaca Plaza REO LP	Rent
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh	D	$4,900	701 N. St. Vrain Jt Venture	Rent/Campaign offices (6 months)
Sen. Kip Averitt	R	$4,872	Riverside Square	Rent

            Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

Travel & Lodging burned through 11 percent of all officeholder costs, with senators spending a slightly larger share of their funds for this purpose. Some of these trips were for official state business and some were campaign trips. Officials failed to specify the purpose of many trips. 

 

 

Biggest Spenders on Travel & Lodging

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$112,926	19%
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$69,234	19%
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$68,505	15%
Carona, John	R	Senate-16	$63,249	32%
Fraser, Troy	R	Senate-24	$51,399	64%
Wentworth, Jeff	R	Senate-25	$32,934	28%
Estes, Craig	R	Senate-30	$26,605	32%
Patterson, Jerry	R	Land Com.	$23,884	35%
Deuell, Bob	R	Senate-2	$20,346	21%
Whitmire, John	D	Senate-15	$17,782	16%
Gallego, Pete	D	House-74	$16,346	28%
Ellis, Rodney	D	Senate-13	$15,092	21%
Eiland, Craig	D	House-23	$14,014	30%
Haggerty, Patrick	R	House-78	$13,023	37%
West, Royce	R	Senate-23	$12,672	12%
Gattis, Dan	R	House-20	$11,894	27%
Jones, Delwin	R	House-83	$11,862	60%
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$11,852	9%
Shapleigh, Eliot	D	Senate-29	$10,752	12%
Callegari, Bill	R	House-132	$10,311	28%

 

 

Largest Single Travel & Lodging Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Sen. John Carona	R	$61,930	Associa (Carona’s Co.)	Corporate jet reimbursements
AG Greg Abbott	R	$29,247	Covert Ford	Campaign Vehicle
Sen. Troy Fraser	R	$26,444	Abilene Aero	Travel expense
Sen. Jeff Wentworth	R	$20,309	Lexus Fin’l Services	Motor vehicle lease
Sen. Troy Fraser	R	$15,212	HSB Airport	Travel expense
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$14,128	Georgetown Aviation	Airplane Expense
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$10,037	Basin Aviation	Travel
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh	D	$8,233	Southwest Airlines	Travel (Jan.-June ‘07)
Rep. Borris Miles	D	$8,100	First Class Tours	Transportation to Austin
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$6,793	American Airlines	Bilderberg conference: Istanbul

               Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

The average official spent 10 percent of his or her money on Administrative/Office Expenses (such as office supplies and phone bills), with little variation among the three types of offices studied. Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst made the largest single Administrative/Office expenditures. Over two months his campaign reported paying Convio a remarkable total of $47,374 for “web hosting fees.”

 

Biggest Spenders on Administrative/Office Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Dewhurst, David	R	Lt. Governor	$75,278	7%
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$48,874	8%
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$27,567	6%
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$27,123	7%
Janek, Kyle	R	Senate-17	$25,255	20%
Branch, Dan	R	House-108	$17,970	27%
Zaffirini, Judith	D	Senate-21	$17,202	21%
Raymond, Richard	D	House-42	$17,201	17%
King, Phillip	R	House-61	$16,896	15%
Williams, Tommy	R	Senate-4	$16,774	24%
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$16,752	12%
Combs, Susan	R	Comptroller	$15,898	10%
Uresti, Carlos	D	Senate-19	$13,718	22%
Hinojosa, Juan	D	Senate-20	$12,436	16%
Nichols, Robert	R	Senate-3	$12,221	8%
Gattis, Dan	R	House-20	$11,953	27%
Estes, Craig	R	Senate-30	$11,288	13%
Wentworth, Jeff	R	Senate-25	$10,964	9%
Shapiro, Florence	R	Senate-8	$10,944	14%
Creighton, Brandon	R	House-16	$10,892	32%

 

 

Largest Single Administrative/Office Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
LG David Dewhurst	R	$23,687	Convio, Inc.	Web hosting fees
Rep. Terri Hodge	D	*$8,658	Target	Cell phone minutes
Rep. Dan Gattis	R	$7,838	Dell Computers, Inc.	Office computer equipment
Rep. Drew Darby	R	$5,506	West Office Interiors	Office Furniture
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$5,118	DFS Acceptance	Computers
Rep. Jim Dunnam	D	$4,919	TX Correctional Industries	Furniture
Rep. Richard Raymond	D	$4,763	B&H Photo Video Pro	Camera & Video Camera
Rep. Marc Veasey	D	$4,738	Lasting Impressions	Decoration of capitol office
Sen. Kyle Janek	R	$4,333	Apple Online	Officeholder computer
Sen. Jeff Wentworth	R	$4,150	Texas Senate	Senate calendars/envelopes

                  *This amount probably was misreported, perhaps by misplacing the decimal in $86.58.
                  Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

Rep. Terri Hodge reported spending $8,658 at Target for “cell phone minutes.” Given that her campaign previously reported spending $86.59 for a similar purchase, this likely was a decimal-point typo—albeit a Freudian one. In October federal prosecutors—citing 30,822 wiretapped phone calls—indicted Rep. Hodge and 13 others on bribery charges related to Dallas public-housing contracts.² A retired Southwestern Bell manager, Rep. Hodge may not have needed the website wisegeek.com to know that “stores like Target” sell relatively anonymous “pay as you go phones” that track accounts by cell number “so you don’t even have to give the company your name!”³ Rep. Hodge reported her first Target cell-phone purchase on June 3, 2005. Reports of the federal bribery probe surfaced three weeks later, when the FBI raided properties of a developer and of ex-members of the Dallas City Council.⁴

 

 

Officials spent 10 percent of all their political funds on Gifts/Charitable contributions. Lawmakers, who frequently exchange gifts with fellow members of legislative committees, accounted for most of this spending. Gifts/Charitable contributions accounted for just 2 percent of the money spent by statewide officials.

 

Biggest Spenders on Gifts/Charitable Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Carona, John	R	Senate-16	$36,882	19%
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$35,267	24%
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$32,887	7%
Geren, Charlie	R	House-99	$31,331	46%
Wentworth, Jeff	R	Senate-25	$30,000	26%
Deuell, Bob	R	Senate-2	$25,469	26%
Janek, Kyle	R	Senate-17	$18,812	15%
Hilderban, Harvey	R	House-53	$18,254	47%
Crabb, Joe	R	House-127	$14,964	73%
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$14,682	3%
Brimer, Kim	R	Senate-10	$14,311	15%
Zaffirini, Judith	D	Senate-21	$13,841	17%
Chisum, Warren	R	House-88	$12,988	32%
Van De Putte, Leticia	D	Senate-26	$12,753	21%
Averitt, Kip	R	Senate-22	$12,373	22%
Uresti, Carlos	D	Senate-19	$12,175	20%
Hinojosa, Juan	D	Senate-20	$11,348	14%
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$10,996	8%
Lucio Jr., Eddie	D	Senate-27	$10,637	17%
Goolsby, Tony	R	House-102	$10,300	22%

 

 

Largest Single Gift/Charitable Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Sen. John Carona	R	$14,397	Southwest Numismatic Corp.	Texana for charities/colleagues
Charles Geren	R	$12,636	Fort Worth Stock Show	Contribution
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$10,778	Perini Ranch Steak House	Constituent gifts
Sen. Kyle Janek	R	$10,000	MH Foundation	Sponsorship
Sen. John Carona	R	$6,885	John Rowe	Texana for civic fundraisers
Rep. Harvey Hilderbran	R	$6,619	Hill Country Jr. Livestock Show	Donation
Rep. Charles Geren	R	$5,325	Tarrant Co. Jr. Livestock Show	Donation
Sen. Jeff Wentworth	R	$5,000	Alamo Heights School Fdn.	Charitable contribution
Sen. Jane Nelson	R	$5,000	Treitsch Memorial UMC	Veteran's Memorial Plaza
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$5,000	TX Archive of Moving Image	Donation
Rep. Joe Crabb	R	$5,000	Grace Campus Ministries	Donation

     Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

Officials spent 8 percent of all their political funds on Campaign-Related Expenditures. Members of the House—where the Democrats made the biggest inroads against Republican rule—spent 10 percent of their funds on Campaign-Related Expenditures such as mailings, advertising, phone banks and fundraising. Their colleagues in the Senate and statewide offices—which are under tighter GOP control—respectively spent just 6 percent of their political funds on Campaign-Related Expenditures. Given that many Staff & Consultant expenditures are campaign-related, it is not surprising that personnel absorbed 23 percent of House spending compared to 18 percent in the Senate.

 

Biggest Spenders on Campaign-Related Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$90,149	15%
Flores, Kino	D	House-36	$47,352	43%
O'Day, Mike	R	House-29	$44,898	32%
King, Susan	R	House-71	$35,360	99%
Dewhurst, David	R	Lt. Governor	$34,959	3%
Goolsby, Tony	R	House-102	$26,971	57%
Carona, John	R	Senate-16	$26,432	13%
Leibowitz, David	D	House-117	$22,546	86%
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$20,532	5%
Raymond, Richard	D	House-42	$15,045	15%
Janek, Kyle	R	Senate-17	$14,627	12%
Combs, Susan	R	Comptroller	$14,238	9%
Davis, John	R	House-129	$13,755	27%
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$13,153	9%
Cook, Byron	R	House-8	$11,983	59%
Merritt, Tommy	R	House-7	$11,076	43%
Ellis, Rodney	D	Senate-13	$10,595	15%
Zerwas, John	R	House-28	$10,341	36%
West, Royce	D	Senate-23	$9,507	9%
Hinojosa, Juan	D	Senate-20	$9,484	12%

 

 

Largest Single Campaign-Related Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Gov. Rick Perry	R	$36,632	Delisi Communications	Printing
Rep. Michael O'Day	R	$35,299	J2 Strategies LP	Advertising
Rep. Susan King	R	$35,000	Susan King	Campaign loan repayment
Sen. John Carona	R	$23,977	McIntosh Company	Fundraising fees
Rep. Tony Goolsby	R	$15,998	Tony Goolsby	Reimburse political expenditures
Rep. Kino Flores	D	$14,000	Kem Texas LTD	Billboard ad
Sen. Rodney Ellis	D	$10,440	Campaign Strategies	Design & mail New Year cards
Rep. Byron Cook	R	$10,000	Eppstein Group	Campaign Advertising
Rep. Kino Flores	D	$10,000	M.G. Advertising	Campaign materials
Rep. David Leibowitz	D	$10,000	Kelly Graphics	Professional Services

                  Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

Food, Drinks & Events accounted for 7 percent of all political expenditures. This expense—which also can enhance personal lifestyles and waistlines—accounted for 9 percent of House expenditures, 10 percent of Senate expenditures and just 2 percent of spending by statewide officials.

 

Biggest Spenders on Food, Drinks & Events Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$69,778	15%
Whitmire, John	D	Senate-15	$38,287	34%
Carona, John	R	Senate-16	$28,305	14%
Deuell, Bob	R	Senate-2	$19,145	20%
Pitts, Jim	R	House-10	$17,826	23%
Duncan, Robert L.	R	Senate-28	$17,076	25%
Perry, Rick	R	Governor	$14,673	3%
Dewhurst, David	R	Lt. Governor	$13,938	1%
Lucio Jr., Eddie	D	Senate-27	$13,927	22%
Miles, Borris	D	House-146	$13,356	49%
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$11,997	9%
Patterson, Jerry	R	Land Com.	$11,581	17%
Van De Putte, Leticia	D	Senate-26	$11,294	19%
Chisum, Warren	R	House-88	$10,735	26%
Oliveira, Rene	D	House-37	$10,177	34%
Estes, Craig	R	Senate-30	$9,486	11%
Averitt, Kip	R	Senate-22	$9,175	16%
Lucio III, Eddie	D	House-38	$8,005	13%
Woolley, Beverly	R	House-136	$7,974	15%
Truitt, Vicki	R	House-98	$7,671	19%

 

 

Largest Single Food & Events Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Rep. Jim Pitts	R	$8,623	Kurant Events	Catering swearing-in Party
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$7,165	Word of Mouth Catering	Business meeting
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$6,382	Headliners Club	Event Expense
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$6,148	Littlefield Hospitality. Inc.	Event Expense
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$5,844	HEB Credit Receivables	Bus. expenses
Sen. John Carona	R	$5,168	Maggiano's	Dinner - precinct chairs
LG David Dewhurst	R	$5,143	Four Seasons Austin	Event expense
Sen. Jane Nelson	R	$4,995	Circle R Ranch	Event
Sen. John  Whitmire	D	$4,943	Houston Texans	Constituent entertainment
Rep. Michael O'Day	R	$4,851	Omni Hotel Austin	Reception
Sen. John Carona	R	$4,534	III Fork	Dinner: Trans. Committee/staff

             Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

Six percent of all political expenditures fell into the Miscellaneous category. The largest Miscellaneous expenditures were federal tax payments. Most of these appear to be taxes paid on income earned investing surplus campaign funds. With one exception, the officeholders listed on the accompanying list of big Miscellaneous spenders had $100,000 or more in the bank at the end of 2006. This category also includes lump-sum reimbursements for expenditures in multiple categories. Rep. Ken Paxton’s largest single expenditure in early 2007, for example, was a $56,435 reimbursement to himself for unspecified expenditures that he reportedly made on postage and Taste of Texas tickets, as well as unspecified expenditures at Crate & Barrel and the Capitol Gift Shop.

 

Biggest Spenders on Miscellaneous Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures	Campaign Cash On Hand 12/31/2006
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$110,833	31%	$5,646,985
Paxton, Ken	R	House-70	$57,696	82%	$362,959
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$44,950	10%	$4,181,656
Combs, Susan	R	Comptroller	$34,510	23%	$1,454,363
Whitmire, John	D	Senate-15	$34,050	30%	$3,152,591
Ellis, Rodney	D	Senate-13	$18,013	25%	$1,800,211
Watson, Kirk	D	Senate-14	$16,738	15%	$1,213,822
Staples, Todd	R	Agricult. Com.	$10,981	40%	$262,981
Ogden, Steve	R	Senate-5	$9,260	23%	$712,138
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$9,006	7%	$979,596
Zaffirini, Judith	D	Senate-21	$8,060	10%	$806,228
West, Royce	D	Senate-23	$7,627	7%	$747,581
Callegari, Bill	R	House-132	$6,072	16%	$199,927
Giddings,  Helen	D	House-109	$5,772	15%	$143,257
Duncan, Robert	R	Senate-28	$5,058	7%	$345,848
Brimer, Kim	R	Senate-10	$4,979	5%	$1,036,014
McCall, Brian	R	House-66	$4,781	13%	$525,240
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$4,755	3%	$400,963
Branch, Dan	R	House-108	$4,700	7%	$372,366
Uresti, Carlos	D	Senate-19	$4,640	7%	$73,973

 

 

Largest Single Miscellaneous Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
AG Greg Abbott	R	$94,450	IRS	Taxes
Rep. Ken Paxton	R	$56,436	Ken Paxton	Reimbursing various expenditures
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$43,735	Bank of America	Tax-1120-POL
Comp. Susan Combs	R	$34,000	IRS	Federal Income Taxes
Sen. John Whitmire	D	$27,000	Sterling Bank	Estimated tax payment
AG Greg Abbott	R	$14,187	State Comptroller	Taxes
Sen. Kirk Watson	D	$12,288	IRS	Taxes
Ag. Com. Todd Staples	R	$8,722	IRS	2006 taxes
Sen. Stephen Ogden	R	$8,505	US Treasury	2006 tax
Sen. Rodney Ellis	D	$8,429	JPMorgan Chase	2006 federal taxes; Bank service charge

     Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

Officials make payments on campaign loans and vehicle loans and even have been known to make mortgage payments. When officials specified that a loan payment was for a campaign loan, researchers classified the expense as a Campaign-Related Expenditure. Loan payments were classified as “Unspecified Loans,” however, when the purpose of a loan was not stated or if the stated purpose was unclear. Unspecified Loans ate up 4 percent of all Campaign-Related Expenditures in early 2007, rising to 7 percent in the case of the statewide officials. While most of these payments seem to be campaign loans, Sen. Eliot Shapleigh appears to have paid a whopping $2,741 in finance charges on unspecified credit-card purchases.

 

Biggest Spenders on Unspecified-Loan Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Dewhurst, David	R	Lt. Governor	$158,023	14%
Nichols, Robert	R	Senate-3	$110,000	71%
Raymond, Richard	D	House-42	$47,350	47%
Strama, Mark	D	House-50	$30,000	82%
Lucio III, Eddie	D	House-38	$8,750	14%
Riddle, Debbie	R	House-150	$5,000	52%
Bolton, Valinda	D	House-47	$4,123	22%
Patrick, Diane	R	House-94	$3,000	20%
Shapleigh, Eliot	D	Senate-29	$2,271	2%
Swinford, David	R	House-87	$2,255	7%
Frost, Stephen	D	House-1	$1,634	24%
Gonzalez, Yvonne	D	House-35	$1,607	17%
Dukes, Dawnna	D	House-46	$1,392	5%
West, Royce	D	Senate-23	$1,007	1%
Martinez, Armando	D	House-39	$1,000	5%

 

 

Largest Single Unspecified Loan Payments

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Sen. Robert  Nichols	R	$100,000	Robert Nichols	Loan payment
LG David Dewhurst	R	$40,591	Compass Bank	Interest payment
Rep. Mark Strama	D	$30,000	Mark Strama	Loan payment
Rep. Richard Raymond	D	$10,000	Richard Raymond*	Loan reimbursement*
Rep. Deborah Riddle	R	$5,000	Michael Riddle	Loan reimbursement
Rep. Valinda Bolton	D	$4,123	Andy Hathcock	Loan payment
Rep. Diane Patrick	R	$3,000	Diane Patrick	Loan payment
Sen. Eliot Shapleigh	D	$2,271	Cardmember Service	Finance charge
Rep. Eduardo Lucio	D	$1,750	Lone Star Nat’l Bank	Loan payment
Rep. Stephen Frost	D	$1,634	Century Bank	Loan payment

                   *Reimbursing self for repaying part of International Bank of Commerce loan.
                   Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

Political Contributions accounted for 3 percent of all political expenditures, with most of these contributions benefiting PACs affiliated with the two dominant parties. Senators directed 5 percent of their spending to Political Contributions, more than twice the share that House members and the statewide officials dedicated to this purpose.

 

Biggest Spenders on Political Contributions

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Carona, John	R	Senate-16	$23,433	12%
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$14,266	10%
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$13,500	4%
Nelson, Jane	R	Senate-12	$9,100	7%
Shapiro, Florence	R	Senate-8	$9,060	11%
Gallegos, Mario	D	Senate-6	$7,500	12%
Talton, Robert	R	House-144	$7,000	36%
Deuell, Bob	R	Senate-2	$6,857	7%
Wentworth, Jeff	R	Senate-25	$6,750	6%
Brimer, Kim	R	Senate-10	$6,575	7%
Combs, Susan	R	Comptroller	$6,560	4%
Janek, Kyle	R	Senate-17	$6,010	5%
Estes, Craig	R	Senate-30	$5,500	7%
Flores, Kino	D	House-36	$5,368	5%
Veasey, Marc	D	House-95	$5,070	19%
King, Phillip	R	House-61	$4,730	4%
Ogden, Steve	R	Senate-5	$4,400	11%
Coleman, Garnet	D	House-147	$4,250	7%
Williams, Tommy	R	Senate-4	$4,002	6%
Shapleigh, Eliot	D	Senate-29	$4,000	4%

 

 

Largest Single Political Contributions

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Sen. John Carona	R	$11,103	Rep. Bill Keffer Campaign	Contribution
Sen. John Carona	R	$10,000	Dallas Co. Republican Party	Contribution
AG Greg Abbott	R	$5,000	Republican Party of Texas	Donation
Sen. Florence Shapiro	R	$5,000	Republican Jewish Coalition	Dues
Sen. Jane Nelson	R	$5,000	Tarrant Co. Republican Party	Donation
Sen. Chris Harris	R	$5,000	Denton Co. Republican Party	Sponsorship
Sen. Mario Gallegos	D	$5,000	Carol Alvarado Campaign	Contribution
Sen. Craig Estes	R	$5,000	Tom Leppert Campaign	Contribution
Sen. Kim Brimer	R	$5,000	Tarrant Co. Republican Party	Contribution
Sen. Florence Shapiro	R	$3,960	American Israel Public Affairs Com.	Dues & Reception

           Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

The reporting on one out of every 100 dollars spent was so murky that researchers categorized it as Unknown. Rep. Rafael Anchia reported paying $5,471 to unspecified “characters” for four mystery invoices (even mysteries require more “character” development than this). In another mystery, Rep. Kino Flores reported spending a total of $200 over two months at a Quick Stop near the Mexican border for a “family funeral.”⁵ Many officials reported major reimbursements to officeholders, staff or legislative committees for unspecified expenditures. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s campaign spent $1,280 on insurance without disclosing if it was life, health, vehicle, home or some other kind of insurance. 

 

Biggest Spenders on Unknown Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category’s Share of Total  Expenditures
Davis, Yvonne	D	House-111	$12,480	58%
Lucio III, Eddie	D	House-38	$6,907	11%
Harris, Chris	R	Senate-9	$6,806	5%
Anchia, Rafael	D	House-103	$5,471	14%
Woolley, Beverley	R	House-136	$5,260	10%
Dunnam, Jim	D	House-57	$4,846	9%
Flores, Kino	D	House-36	$4,312	4%
Turner, Sylvester	D	House-139	$3,567	7%
Watson, Kirk	D	Senate-14	$2,986	3%
Uresti, Carlos	D	Senate-19	$2,235	4%
Quintanilla, ‘Chente’	D	House-75	$2,000	9%
Craddick, Tom	R	House-82	$1,850	0%
Gallegos, Mario	D	Senate-6	$1,330	2%
Averitt, Kip	R	Senate-22	$1,320	2%
West, Royce	D	Senate-23	$1,290	1%
Abbott, Greg	R	Attorney Gen’l	$1,280	0%
Pitts, Jim	R	House-10	$1,251	2%
Coleman, Garnet	D	House-147	$1,201	2%
Whitmire, John	D	Senate-15	$1,072	1%
Lucio Jr., Eddie	D	Senate-27	$995	2%

 

 

Largest Single Unknown Expenditures

Officeholder	Party	Amount	Recipient	Filer’s Description
Rep. Rafael Anchia	D	$5,471	Characters	Invoices 24765 24766 24767 24768
Rep. Beverly Woolley	R	$5,260	House Administration	Office Expense
Rep. Yvonne Davis	D	$4,320	House Administration Com.	Reimburse House account
Rep. Jim Dunnam	D	$2,524	Jim Dunnam	Reimburse expenses paid
Rep. Chente Quintanilla	D	$2,000	Chente Quintanilla	Reimburse expenditures
Rep. Eduardo Lucio	D	$1,909	Ruben O'Bell	Reimbursements. Receipts on file.
Rep. Tom Craddick	R	$1,850	Bonnie Bates	Business meeting
Rep. Kino Flores	D	$1,650	Rita Uresti	Reimbursement
Sen. Kirk Watson	D	$1,416	Sarah Chanslor	Reimbursement
Sen. Kip Averitt	R	$1,320	Robyn Mills	Office Expense
AG Greg Abbott	R	$1,280	Adams Insurance Service	Insurance

         Note: Excludes multiple checks from a campaign to the same recipient.

 

 

Credit-card expenditures that fall short of state accounting standards accounted for less than 1 percent of all campaign expenditures. A 1981 law requires campaigns and officeholders to disclose what goods or services were bought with the credit card and the actual vendor compensated via the credit card. Acting on complaints over the past year, the Texas Ethics Commission fined 11 current and former lawmakers, led by Rep. Ed Kuempel, for failing to itemize campaign credit-card payments.⁶ In August a Houston Chronicle investigation reported that Texas legislators led by Sen. Carlos Uresti failed to itemize almost $900,000 in credit card payments since January 2005.⁷ Other related complaints are pending with the Texas Ethics Commission.

With this recent spotlight on this abuse, statewide and senate officials appear to be itemizing credit-card expenditures. Yet the problem persists in the House. In the first half of 2007, 11 lawmakers made 50 improper campaign credit-card payments totaling $56,663. At a minimum, they failed to disclose the vendor of their credit-card purchase. In some cases, they even failed to disclose what they bought on credit. Some of these lawmakers told the Chronicle in August that they would amend their filings and pay any fines levied. The unitemized credit-card expenditures discussed here had not been amended by the time research on this report began in mid-September.

 

All Spenders on Unitemized Credit Cards

Officeholder	Party	Office	Total Category Expenditures	This Category's Share of Total Expenditures
Coleman, Garnet	D	House-147	$24,720	42%
Hardcastle, Rick	R	House-68	$8,186	27%
Hamilton, Mike	R	House-19	$7,016	50%
Eiland, Craig	D	House-23	$6,227	13%
Hopson, Chuck	D	House-11	$2,696	23%
Martinez Fischer, Trey	D	House-116	$2,528	10%
Turner, Sylvester	D	House-139	$2,390	5%
Keffer, James	R	House-60	$1,211	2%
Berman, Leo	R	House-6	$756	9%
Brown, Fred	R	House-14	$624	9%
Driver, Joe	R	House-113	$309	1%

 

 

Largest Unitemized Credit-Card Expenditures

House Member	Card Amount	Expenditure Description
Coleman	$5,665	Meals Gas Rental car supplies additional xmas ornaments…
Coleman	$5,460	Gas Meals Flowers LSG event Holliday ornaments Supplies…
Coleman	$4,156	Supplies for house Austin Meals Cert. Parks Dept
Coleman	$4,006	Fundraising mailout for LSG
Hopson	$2,607	Food travel postage and office supplies
Hardcastle	$2,303	Meals698.90; fuel330.18; lodging170.72; carrepair112.79; entertainment62.80; AustinHouse857.49
Hamilton	$1,879	Credit card charges for travel expenses
Eiland	$1,866	Austin travel expenses
Coleman	$1,589	Meals Gas Rentals Hotels Austin
Hamilton	$1,525	Travel expenses
Hardcastle	$1,468	Fuel-$525.68; meals-$289.72; furniture rental-$234.36; expenses…
Eiland	$1,441	Austin expenses
Martinez F.	$1,435	Christmas ornaments for constituents
Hamilton	$1,389	Credit card charges for travel meals lodging office supplies expenses
Eiland	$1,389	Austin travel expenses
Hardcastle	$1,362	Fuel-$483.32; meals-$466.08; furniture rental-$263.36; Austin expenses…
Coleman	$1,248	Meals Gas Snacks for opening day party rooms for Houston staff retreat
Keffer	$1,211	Committee dinner
Hamilton	$1,205	Credit card charges for travel meals lodging office supplies expenses

 

REPORT UPDATES:

During the time that this report was being written, several lawmakers filed expenditure reports to correct problems cited in this report. On Jan. 14, 2008, Rep. Jose Menendez filed his missing campaign report that had been due six months earlier. It reported that he spent $39,143 in the first half of 2007. While this report was being prepared in late 2007, two House members cited here for failing to itemize credit-card expenditures--Reps. Garnet Coleman and Fred Brown--filed corrected reports to remedy this error.

 

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² “Evidence detailed in City Hall case,” Dallas Morning News, October 10, 2007.
³ See http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-pay-as-you-go-cell-phone-plan.htm
⁴ “Hill, Fantroy firms searched,” Dallas Morning News, June 21, 2005.
⁵ In a possible clue, one of the payments specified that it was for a “Pena family funeral.”
⁶ The agent fined Rep. Ed Kuempel ($8,500). It also fined Reps. Buddy West ($6,400); Vicki Truitt ($5,300); Allan Ritter ($2,800); John Davis ($1,000); Rick Noriega ($1,000); Gary Elkins ($2,000); and Sid Miller ($800). Former Reps. Bob Griggs ($3,600), Gene Seaman ($2,500) and Peggy Harmric ($300) also were fined. The fines followed complaints by Houston-area political activist John Cobarruvias.
⁷Dozens of lawmakers failing to meet ethic rules, " Houston Chronicle, August 12, 2007. See also "Do Campaign funds bankroll a cushy lifestyle?" Dallas Morning News, December 17, 2006.