Vol 29, Issue 6 Print Issue

In the Money: Campaign Balances at Year-End

Once upon a time, a campaign account with $100,000 or more was a peculiar thing; if not rare, then at least one of a small group.

But that was back in the day: At the end of last year, there were 284 such committees, according to the campaign finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.

Another 28 committees got to the end of the year with $1 million or more in the bank. At the top of the list — winner and still champ, in this category — is Attorney General Greg Abbott, with $12 million in the bank. The next politician on the list (in the #4 position overall) is Comptroller Susan Combs, who has $6.1 million in the bank.

This isn't even an election year for either one of them.

Two political action committees affiliated with the Texas Association of Realtors were in the #2 and #3 positions, with $7.2 million and $6.1 million, respectively.

The top 100 committees held a total of $109.1 million at year-end. A total of 2,617 committees had at least some money on hand; all of them together held $173.3 million at the end of the year.

The full lists are on the Texas Ethics Commission's website (look here), but here's the leader board: 

 

Top 100: Cash Balance at 2011 year-end
RankFiler nameBalance
1 Texans for Greg Abbott $12,037,960
2 Texas Association of Realtors Issues Mobilization PAC $7,184,852
3 Texas Association of REALTORS PAC $6,119,493
4 Friends of Susan Combs $6,056,149
5 Whitmire, John $5,113,361
6 Texans for Joe Straus $4,013,869
7 Texans For Lawsuit Reform PAC $3,942,560
8 Texans For Rick Perry $2,471,480
9 Texans for Dan Branch $1,703,144
10 Ellis, Rodney G. $1,656,688
11 Watson, Kirk P. $1,551,539
12 Texans for Todd Staples $1,514,406
13 Eltife, Kevin P. $1,443,353
14 Fraser for Texas Senate $1,408,726
15 Seliger, Kelton G. $1,309,418
16 West, Royce $1,242,274
17 Texas Dental Association PAC $1,222,224
18 Zaffirini, Judith $1,203,493
19 Wolens, Steven D. $1,178,591
20 Hegar Jr., Glenn A. $1,177,917
21 Craddick, Tom $1,158,212
22 Texans for Don Willett $1,110,936
23 Texas Farm Bureau Friends Of Agriculture Fund Inc. $1,110,383
24 Texas Medical Assn. PAC $1,073,213
25 Friends of Barry Smitherman $1,059,591
26 David Dewhurst Committee $1,039,307
27 Solomons, Burt $1,010,711
28 Texans for Dan Patrick $1,004,940
29 Nelson, Jane $950,603
30 Atmos Energy Corporation PAC $895,772
31 Greenberg Traurig, P. A. PAC $864,600
32 Paxton Jr., W. Kenneth $853,876
33 Armbrister, Kenneth $829,341
34 Farmers Employee & Agent PAC of Texas $823,114
35 Chisum, Warren D. $755,623
36 Pitts, James R. $748,979
37 Texas Society Of Certified Public Accountants PAC $733,210
38 Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund $726,739
39 Texans for Kay Bailey Hutchison $725,328
40 Texans for Joan Huffman $704,433
41 Texas Credit Union League PAC $701,883
42 Republican State Leadership Committee PAC and Individual Account $699,745
43 Davis, Wendy R. $681,362
44 Texans for Tommy Williams $676,965
45 HDR, Inc. PAC $660,648
46 Mednax, Inc. Federal PAC $643,340
47 Texans for Ted Cruz $616,062
48 Eissler, W. Robert $612,736
49 Craddick, Christi L. $609,477
50 Guillen, Ryan A. $609,045
51 Texans for Kelly Hancock SPAC $580,368
52 Compass Bancshares, Inc. PAC $579,938
53 Friends of Tony Garza $548,241
54 Border Health PAC $544,753
55 Hunter, Todd A. $535,275
56 United Services Automobile Association Employee PAC $531,499
57 Texas Bankers Assn. Bankers PAC $519,034
58 McCall Ph.D., James B. $511,231
59 Texas Trial Lawyers Assn. PAC $509,368
60 Service Corp. International PAC $491,587
61 MetroTex Association of REALTORS PAC (MetroTex-PAC) $491,404
62 Turner, Sylvester $490,008
63 Texas Apartment Assn. PAC $484,742
64 MAVERICK PAC TEXAS $468,922
65 Friends of Dr. Greg Bonnen $465,613
66 Harris, Chris $464,989
67 Ogden, Stephen E. $461,560
68 Citizen Leader PAC $450,638
69 Cook, Byron Curtis $447,454
70 Texas State Teachers Assn. PAC $445,510
71 Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association State PAC $444,350
72 Comerica Inc. PAC $434,667
73 Lopez, Leticia $429,561
74 Kolkhorst, Lois W. $421,061
75 Howard, Charles F. $412,142
76 Patterson, Jerry E. $411,507
77 Annie's List $386,851
78 Hinojosa, Juan $386,058
79 Nichols, Robert Lee $378,998
80 Owens Corning Better Government Fund $378,298
81 Alvarado, Carol $370,523
82 Texas Deer Association PAC $366,649
83 Jackson, James M. $364,823
84 First Command PAC $351,251
85 RNDC PAC $351,106
86 Friends of Susan King $350,786
87 Keffer, James L. $347,691
88 Chesapeake Energy For Texans $345,073
89 Martinez Fischer, Trey $333,161
90 NRG Energy Inc. PAC $330,669
91 Texas Optometric PAC $330,498
92 NuStarpac $330,152
93 Shapiro, Florence $329,966
94 Texas Federation of Republican Women PAC $329,717
95 Geren, Charles L. $321,102
96 Laubenberg, Jodie A. $319,883
97 Texas Automobile Dealers Assn. PAC $316,008
98 Ritter, Allan B. $315,294
99 Reyna, Rose Guerra $314,663
100 Duncan, Robert L. $313,085

Source: Texas Ethics Commission