A Peek Into Political Pocketbooks in Texas
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Where's the money in Texas politics?
Well, the bank balances are one measure, and here are the top 50 from candidate and political action committee reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.
Top Cash Balances: Candidates and PACs
| Rank | Name | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texans for Greg Abbott | $12,514,727.31 |
| 2 | Texans for Joe Straus | $8,429,380.08 |
| 3 | Texas Association of Realtors Issues Mobilization Political Action Committee | $7,627,899.92 |
| 4 | Whitmire, John | $7,206,798.64 |
| 5 | Texas Association of REALTORS Political Action Committee | $6,169,924.80 |
| 6 | Friends of Susan Combs | $5,680,069.20 |
| 7 | Texans for Dan Patrick | $3,905,079.37 |
| 8 | Bush, George P. | $3,063,857.76 |
| 9 | Texans for Rick Perry | $2,859,665.34 |
| 10 | Paxton Jr., W. Kenneth | $2,641,861.86 |
| 11 | Ellis, Rodney G. | $2,433,963.42 |
| 12 | Hegar Jr., Glenn A. | $2,293,958.08 |
| 13 | Eltife, Kevin P. | $2,041,273.64 |
| 14 | Fraser for Texas Senate | $1,669,634.39 |
| 15 | Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC | $1,644,713.19 |
| 16 | Greenberg Traurig, P. A. PAC | $1,614,095.88 |
| 17 | Hunter, Todd A. | $1,610,555.23 |
| 18 | Seliger, Kelton G. | $1,547,811.39 |
| 19 | West, Royce | $1,544,730.52 |
| 20 | Watson, Kirk P. | $1,480,596.45 |
| 21 | Nelson, Jane | $1,457,521.37 |
| 22 | Texas Dental Association Political Action Committee | $1,404,276.88 |
| 23 | Texans For Education Reform PAC | $1,357,116.73 |
| 24 | Texas Farm Bureau Friends Of Agriculture Fund Inc. | $1,146,492.34 |
| 25 | Craddick, Christi L. | $1,138,958.44 |
| 26 | Wolens, Steven D. | $1,053,789.20 |
| 27 | Turner, Sylvester | $1,014,424.34 |
| 28 | Nichols, Robert Lee | $949,430.65 |
| 29 | Guillen, Ryan A. | $901,558.25 |
| 30 | Porter, David J. | $896,898.33 |
| 31 | Solomons, Burt | $856,182.95 |
| 32 | Texans for Joan Huffman | $835,865.90 |
| 33 | Zaffirini, Judith | $821,284.74 |
| 34 | Geren, Charles L. | $797,708.06 |
| 35 | Texans for Charles Schwertner | $797,097.17 |
| 36 | Armbrister, Kenneth | $786,827.28 |
| 37 | Otto, John C. | $781,716.00 |
| 38 | Atmos Energy Corporation PAC | $748,133.94 |
| 39 | Cook, Byron Curtis | $739,879.97 |
| 40 | Hinojosa, Juan | $739,775.32 |
| 41 | Farmers Employee & Agent PAC of Texas | $732,620.18 |
| 42 | Texas Society Of Certified Public Accountants PAC | $726,446.00 |
| 43 | Service Corp. International PAC | $709,682.53 |
| 44 | Darby, Drew | $672,897.14 |
| 45 | Kolkhorst, Lois W. | $638,071.88 |
| 46 | MetroTex Association of REALTORS Political Action Committee (MetroTex-PAC) | $637,736.94 |
| 47 | Texans for Tommy Williams | $632,964.11 |
| 48 | Republican Party of Texas | $625,313.68 |
| 49 | Texans for Don Willett | $619,750.60 |
| 50 | Friends of Larry Taylor | $608,771.52 |
* Candidate balances are from semi-annual reports; lobby and PAC balances are from March reports.
Source: Texas Ethics Commission
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