How much do out-of-state donations affect Texas campaigns?

Think the Illuminati has a shady hold on Texas campaign finance? Think again. We’ve analyzed all of the state House of Representatives members’ campaign finance records from the last reporting cycle (January through July) to find just how much out-of-state (OOS) money plays into padding campaigns- and the results just may shock you. Out of the $2.8 million total sum of money donated to all Reps, a mere 2.2% came from out-of-state donors. Here we break down just how much money outside of the Lone Star State that your Reps are getting. 

Rep. Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton)

Total number of donations: 120

Total OOS donations: 10

% of OOS donations from all donation funds: 2.3% 

All of the out-of-state donations from Rep. Beckley’s campaign finance records indicate that the money was given through small contributions from individual donors. Surprise, surprise: No big PAC money found here. 

Rep. James Talarico (D-Round Rock)

Total number of donations: 116

Total OOS donations: 9

% of OOS donations from all donation funds: 4.5%

Rep. Talarico also had small donations from individuals out-of-state, with a majority coming from California. 

Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston)

Total number of donations: 74

Total OOS donations: 7

% of OOS donations from all donation funds: 11.7% 

The out-of-state donations to Rep. Rosenthal’s campaign came from all over the United States, and played no big part in adding up to his total amount raised. 

Rep. Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio)

Total number of donations: 78

Total OOS donations: 5

% of OOS donations from all donation funds: 9.1% 

Most of the out-of-state donations to Rep. Ray Lopez came from employee and laborers organizations and PACs. Still, a slim margin compared to the rest of campaign donations. 

Rep. Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth)

Total number of donations: 45

Total OOS donations: 4 

% of OOS donations from all donation funds: 1.5 % 

Rep. Krause received small donations from individuals, all who are located in California. However, these donations only made up a sliver of his near $57,000 donations overall. 

One interesting finding is that most of the money came from smaller individual donations rather than large PAC money. However, gambling interests such as The Chickasaw Nation have donated to both Democrats and Republicans indiscriminately. This analysis dispels any myth or conspiracy of out-of-state money impacting Texas Representatives’ campaign finance, showing that there is no foul play at hand. Sometimes a donation is just a donation, and it seems that the funding from these donations are practically negligible when a representative adds up all their donations from one reporting cycle.

RA Staff

Written by RA News staff.

Recent Posts

Kelly Clarkson Steps Away from Texas Flood Benefit After Ex-Husband’s Passing

Kelly Clarkson will no longer perform at this weekend’s Band Together Texas benefit concert, stepping…

19 hours ago

Judge Lina Hidalgo Dubs Colleagues the ‘GOP Three’

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo escalated tensions at Commissioners Court on Thursday, branding two of…

2 days ago

Texas Democrats Plan Return to Block Gerrymander, Awaiting End of Special Session

Dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers are preparing to head back to Austin early next week…

2 days ago

Texas Democrats say they will return to state once session ends, California unveils retaliatory map

Texas House Democrats who left the state in protest of proposed congressional redistricting said Thursday…

2 days ago

Texas Private Schools Face Minimal Oversight Despite State Funding Expansion

For years, some Texas private schools have engaged in governance and financial practices that would…

3 days ago

Abbott vows to immediately call Texas lawmakers back to work if special session ends without new maps

The state's top three elected officials — Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and…

4 days ago

This website uses cookies.