The latest campaign finance news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state’s ban on direct corporate campaign contributions, denying a challenge from a Tea Party group that called it unconstitutional. Full Story
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The Texas Ethics Commission fined Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller a total of $2,750 to resolve two complaints accusing him of improper campaign accounting. Full Story
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A Texas Tribune analysis of how much Texas candidates spent per vote ahead of the November elections reveals campaigns that won or lost on the cheap, as well as those that paid heavily for their outcome. Full Story
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Houston-area Rep. Ron Reynolds, who's been sued by the state after not filing a campaign finance report in a year, says he's started a payment plan. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has $4.2 million cash on hand as he prepares for a potentially competitive re-election race in 2018. Full Story
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In his biggest six-month fundraising haul since he took office two years ago, Gov. Greg Abbott raised $9 million in the second half of last year, according to his team. Full Story
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The state is trying to regulate what some have called the “campaign in a box,” when a candidate reports writing one big check to a consultant, who then handles all of the campaign spending off the books. Full Story
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Ted Cruz's presidential campaign said it raised more than $12.5 million in March, the biggest monthly fundraising total of the campaign. Full Story
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As Texas primary races head into the final stretch, the latest campaign finance reports show House Speaker Joe Straus and a handful of his allies are spending big to fight off their Tea Party-backed challengers. Full Story
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Following Jeb Bush's suspension of his presidential campaign, a super PAC supporting him canceled its entire media campaign in Texas. Full Story
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It’s possible to imagine a way for the attorney general to raise money for a legal defense fund, but it’s perilous without a favorable advisory opinion from ethics regulators. And they decided this week not to approve such an opinion. Full Story
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Members of the Wilks family in Cisco, already heavily invested in Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, are also vying to play an outsized role in several key Texas House races, according to the latest campaign finance data. Full Story
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The first significant campaign finance disclosures of this primary election season were due at midnight Friday, and candidate reports trickled into the Texas Ethics Commission’s online system over the weekend. Here’s a first look at some significant reports. Full Story
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This week on The Ticket: The Tribune's Jay Root and KUT's Ben Philpott dive into the billions of dollars flowing through our campaign finance system. Full Story
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Before you move on to other news, stop for a moment and consider the mind-boggling campaign finance report turned in this week by Gov. Greg Abbott. For nine days in June, he raised money faster than most presidential candidates. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court says it's okay for states to bar judges from raising their own campaign cash. A lot of judges (and lawyers, too) think that's a pretty good idea that Texas might want to consider. Full Story
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A frustrated regulator's letter suggesting the state drop enforcement of its ethics laws might spark some legislative action. That would be a gift for Gov. Greg Abbott, who wants ethics to be a signature issue this session. Full Story
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The Texas Ethics Commission can't do its job if compliance is "wholly voluntary," says one member who thinks the commission should stop all enforcement activities in response to a judge's recent dismissal of its ruling against conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. Full Story
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Where's the money in Texas politics? Well, bank balances are one measure, and here are the top 50 from candidate and political action committee reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
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Buddy Barfield, once an adviser to former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from Dewhurst’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Full Story
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