Jeff Yass, billionaire school voucher advocate, gives Greg Abbott another $4 million
The donation follows another $6 million Yass gave Abbott in January, which the governor’s campaign said was the largest single donation in Texas history. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott delivers opening remarks at a speaking event where he announced his endorsement for President Donald Trump in his reelection campaign, in Edinburg, on Nov. 19, 2023. “We need Donald J. Trump back as our president of the United States of America,” the governor proclaimed.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
West Texas pastor who used illegal donations from churches to campaign for office is fined $3,500
Fines issued to Scott Beard of Abilene’s Fountaingate Fellowship and two pastors follow reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that revealed the churches donated to his campaign for local office despite state and federal prohibitions. Full Story
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Credit: Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Texas school districts violated a law intended to add transparency to local elections
The Texas Tribune and ProPublica analyzed 35 Texas school districts that held trustee elections last fall and found none that posted all of the required campaign finance records. Full Story
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![A photo illustration shows a web search box with “BOARD ELECTION Campaign Finance Report” and “Page Not Found” over a photo of a Texas school building.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by ProPublica. Photo by Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune. -
Ken Paxton paid $2.3 million to defense lawyers for impeachment trial
The lawyers were paid from his campaign, according to a report filed this week. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, center, talks with his defense attorney Tony Buzbee, left, before starting the ninth day of his impeachment trial in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Austin, Texas.]()
Credit: Sam Owens/Pool via San Antonio Express-News -
Defend Texas Liberty promised big primary spending. Then its leader met with an Adolf Hitler fan.
The Defend Texas Liberty PAC gave just $10,000 in the last two months of 2023 and received no new money from its billionaire funders. Full Story
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![A Texas Flag elephant statue sits outside the convention hall during the Republican Party of Texas 2022 Convention in George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, June 17, 2022, in Houston.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
School voucher supporter gave Gov. Greg Abbott $6 million in December
The contribution is the largest single campaign donation in Texas history, according to Abbott’s campaign. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott answer questions from the press after receiving the state’s eleventh consecutive Governor’s Cup, awarded to states with high job creation rates and business growth, at the Governor’s Mansion on March 1, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raises $4.7 million in third quarter of U.S. Senate campaign
The Dallas congressman collected the sum over the last three months, continuing to show he could be Cruz’s biggest financial threat in the Democratic primary. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, speaks in favor of voting rights legislation during a Congressional Black Caucus press conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2022.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz -
Churches’ role in Abilene election prompts calls for investigations
West Texas voters rejected three conservative Christian candidates who sought to infuse religious values into local politics. The campaign support the candidates received from local churches has prompted calls for state and federal probes. Full Story
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![Campign signs outside of the 11th & Willis St. Church of Christ in Abiele, Texas, on May 6.]()
Credit: Johnathan Johnson for ProPublica -
National Democrats will invest to retake South Texas congressional district in 2024
The U.S. House Democratic campaign arm will target the 15th Congressional District in next year’s elections, hoping to reclaim the seat from Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, the first Republican ever to represent the district. Full Story
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![Monica De La Cruz, U.S. Representative District 15 Republican Candidate, poses for a photo after a Futuro RGV candidate forum in McAllen on Jan. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
National Republicans say they will spend big to oust Rep. Vicente Gonzalez from his South Texas seat in 2024
Congressional Republicans’ campaign arm will make another effort to unseat the South Texas Democrat who ran in one of the state’s most competitive races last year. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, at his election night watch party in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls’ campaign lost $150,000 in wire fraud theft
The Texas Republican’s campaign, which recouped most of the money, has reported the case to the FBI. The Federal Elections Commission is also looking into it. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, speaking during a press conference at the Houston Ship Channel on Feb. 2, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke returned $1 million check from FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried
O’Rourke’s campaign said they gave the money back before the company’s scandals became widely public, because they were taken aback by such a large unsolicited donation. Full Story
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![Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried attends a press conference at the FTX Arena in downtown Miami on Friday, June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Matias J. Ocner/TNS/ABACA via REUTERS -
O’Rourke outraises Abbott in final month of Texas governor’s race
In the homestretch of the state’s governor race, Beto O’Rourke outraises incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott though he still trails in the polls. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to attendees during a Get Out the Vote Rally hosted by the Asian American Democrats of Texas in Asiatown on October 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O’Rourke catches Gov. Greg Abbott in cash on hand as race hits homestretch
The Democratic challenger ended the latest fundraising period, July 1 through Sept. 29, with slightly more cash on hand than the governor. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott during a debate in Edinburg on Sept. 30, 2022.]()
Credit: Courtesy of News Nation -
As they target South Texas, Republicans say one Democratic county isn’t maintaining campaign finance records
Starr County, one of the four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley, has not been able to produce campaign finance reports that it is required to maintain, according to a GOP group targeting the area. Full Story
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Republican Texas House races become high-dollar affairs as Tuesday’s primary runoff nears
The pricey fights illustrate how much of the action in Texas politics has shifted back to the primary after redistricting dramatically reduced the number of competitive seats. Full Story
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![An empty chair on the House floor on Oct. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Supreme Court overturns law that barred Ted Cruz from fully recouping a personal loan he made to his campaign
The court’s three liberal justices dissented from the majority’s decision, saying that the ruling rewards politicians and paves the way for political corruption. Full Story
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![U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX, leaves a U.S. Senate classified briefing on the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, at Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 3, 2022.]()
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In Democratic runoff for South Texas congressional seat, nonprofit backing a candidate is accused of campaign finance violations
Michelle Vallejo faces Ruben Ramirez in a runoff for the Democratic nomination in the 15th Congressional District. A nonprofit that supports Vallejo is accused of breaking campaign finance rules. Full Story
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![Michelle Vallejo, U.S. Representative District 15 Candidate, responds to questions during a Futuro RGV candidate forum in McAllen on Jan. 11, 2022.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Las Vegas Sands launches $2 million PAC to continue its push to legalize casinos in Texas
The new Texas Sands PAC has already spread over half a million dollars across roughly three dozen primaries for the state House and Senate. Full Story
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![The Sands Expo and The Palazzo resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.]()
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After failing to disclose many donors, Ken Paxton files corrected campaign finance report
The amended report came 13 days after the deadline and as the attorney general nears a hotly contested primary in which his ethics are a top issue. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton conducts an interview with Right Side Broadcasting Network at a Trump Rally in Conroe on Jan. 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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