The spot will stream throughout the Spurs-Knicks series on ESPN+, depicting Gov. Greg Abbott as a basketball-playing string puppet committing “turnover after turnover of our money to his donors.”
campaign finance
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Outside spending blitz defined the close of Texas’ District 35 Democratic runoff
To counter what appeared to be a GOP push to elevate Maureen Galindo, who’d voiced antisemitic stereotypes, national Democrats carpet-bombed the San Antonio area with $1.7 million worth of ads.
Posted in
Politics
Election for oil regulator becomes battleground for wealthy donors
In the GOP runoff for Texas Railroad commissioner, billionaires, big oil companies and trade groups flood the campaign pockets of candidates Jim Wright and Bo French.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Here are the megadonors and dark money groups bankrolling John Cornyn and Ken Paxton’s Senate primary
The incumbent senator has dominated financially, thanks to an array of megadonors and dark money groups. The Tribune assembled a guide to the money behind the most expensive Senate primary ever.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Outside cash floods U.S House runoffs in Texas
PACs have accounted for 89% of ad spending in Texas’ congressional runoffs as crypto, AI and mystery groups flood the contests.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Dark money fuels attack ads in final stretch of Texas’ U.S. Senate primaries
The latest campaign finance reports show big-money interests are heavily invested in the Texas primaries — but unwilling to reveal their identities at a critical juncture of the race.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Cornyn heads into fall with big cash advantage over GOP primary challengers Paxton, Hunt
Texas’ senior senator outraised his foes across his campaign operation, though some of the money is ineligible to be transferred to his main account.
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2026 Texas Elections
Talarico outraises Allred with massive fundraising haul to kick off Senate Democratic primary
The Austin state lawmaker took in $6.2 million in the three weeks since he launched his bid, outpacing the $4.1 million Allred raised over the last three months.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2025
Texas Legislature approves stiff penalties, fundraising limits for lawmakers who leave state to block bills
House members who freeze future legislation by fleeing Texas will face steeper fines, loss of seniority and committee posts, and limits on political fundraising.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Big money shaping GOP primaries for Texas attorney general, comptroller
New campaign finance filings provide the first glimpse of the financial and political fault lines emerging in the open primaries for key statewide offices.
