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Campaign Finance

Reform Austin is dedicated to increasing transparency by engaging and educating taxpayers about what goes on behind the doors of our state Capitol. Our mission is to ensure our elected leaders are working for the public good. 
Campaign finance is all about money in politics and the corrupting influence it has. Reform Austin provides investigative reporting on who is funding campaigns, how much candidates are receiving, and how it influences votes. This includes the millions of dollars in special interest cash that pour into campaign coffers, and the lobbyists and political action committees (PACs) who contribute with the expectation that legislators will vote for them, rather than for their constituents. 
Campaign finance reports are filed semi-annually with the Texas Ethics Commission and are made available to the public. During election years, candidates must file two additional pre-election reports: one 30 days prior and one eight days prior to an election. 
These reports are comprised of total political contributions (the total amount of money a candidate or officeholder raised in the last six months), total expenditures (the total amount of money a candidate or officeholder spent in the last six months), and cash on hand (the total amount of money a candidate has to spend).
Contributions tell us who donated to a candidate or officeholder. They often speak to the motivations the person might have should they be elected. 
Reform Austin also reports on legislation, laws, and reforms concerning campaign finance, such as closing loopholes in the moratorium to give taxpayers more confidence in their representatives. Elected officials should be looking out for us, not their big donors.

What US Senate Races Have Received Texas Money?

This election cycle Texas has been sparing no expense. And while top-of-the-ticket races are taking a lot of the oxygen, Texans seem...

Never A Perfect Candidate: Criminally Indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton

When comparing the 2022 statewide races to 2018’s, we see a clear uptick in fundraising from most statewide races. What has changed...

Who Are Texas’ Top Legislative Fundraisers?

New campaign finance reports released this week by candidates for the Texas Legislature show some of the most competitive state House races...

Abbott & Beto Make Texas History, Most Expensive Governor’s Race Ever

When comparing the 2022 statewide races to 2018’s, we see a clear uptick in fundraising from most statewide races. What has changed...

O’Rourke Out-Raises Gov. Greg Abbott’s Gigantic War Chest

Texas' third straight fundraising period is officially over, thus making this year’s gubernatorial race the most expensive in the state’s history. This...

“Three Strikes, You’re Out”: Paxton Fails To Disclose Campaign Donors, Again

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to demonstrate an outright disregard for the law. His office has declined to enforce campaign finance...

Democrats Continue to Outraise GOP Opponents, but Dollars Don’t Vote, People Do

While Republicans have dominated state races for nearly three decades, Democrats have reason to hope for wins in some statewide elections this...

Following The Money In Texas 2022 Election Cycle

With election day around the corner, the stakes are growing higher and the candidates' wallets are getting fatter. All In all,...

Texas Democrats Are Winning The Fundraising Game

There are many ways to judge how well a political race is going before voters actually head to the polls. One of...

Patrick Flaunts His 2.2M Raised: “Texans Are Voting With Their Checkbooks”

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick continues to lead in the polls for the election in November, with a war chest sufficient enough to...

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