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Simmons’ widow, daughter split picks for lieutenant governor

Serena Simmons Connelly, center, is a major Democratic donor, despite being the daughter of the late GOP uber donor Harold Simmons. (2008 photo by Lara Solt/Staff photographer)

The late Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons may have been a Republican mega donor but his family is splitting its political bets this fall.

In checks written on the eve of the election, Simmons’ widow, Annette, gave Republican lieutenant governor hopeful Dan Patrick $25,000, while his daughter, Serena Simmons Connelly, gave Democrat Leticia Van de Putte $10,000. For the year, that brought Serena’s financial backing of Van de Putte to $17,500, according to Texas Ethics Commission records.

In this election cycle, Annette Simons has given Republican candidates $120,000, the commission’s records show. Half went to unsuccessful attorney general candidate Dan Branch of Dallas.

Since January 2013, Serena Connelly has given more than $358,000 to state Democratic causes, according to commission records. Of that, more than $120,000 went to gubernatorial nominee Wendy Davis and the Texas Victory Committee, the Davis campaign’s joint project with voter-organizing Battleground Texas; more than $90,000 to ActBlue, the Democratic internet fundraising tool; and $25,000 each to the Planned Parenthood Texas Votes PAC and the Texas Organizing Project.

Annette Simmons, shown with her late husband Harold at a Dallas ball in 2013. (Kelly Alexander)

Her sister, Lisa Simmons, also has supported Democrats, though without as many zeroes on her checks.

Lisa Simmons, president of the Harold Simmons Foundation, has given Davis and Battleground Texas $4,000 since May. Serena Connelly is the foundation’s executive vice president.

The sometimes surprising “left turns” of the foundation and Simmons’ daughters were chronicled last year in this piece by the Center for Public Integrity. Among them was its donation of $600,000 to Planned Parenthood and its North Texas affiliate.

Serena Connelly and Lisa Simmons together control nearly 94 percent of Dallas-based Contran Corp., a closely held company with subsidiaries producing a chemical used in house paint and rayon clothing as well as manufacturing security products and recreational marine components, according to this February story by Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Since Oct. 25, when candidates filed their last detailed reports on contributions and expenditures, Patrick has raised about $330,000 in late money, to Van de Putte’s $211,000. That’s not out of line with their overall financial effort. Though Patrick has outraised and outspent her, Van de Putte has kept it relatively close. And while Patrick aides complain she’s received major in-kind donations from Planned Parenthood, TOP and Battleground Texas, it was a major gift from one conservative PAC, $125,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, that kept Patrick ahead in the “telegram” reports on last-minute contributions.

Comptroller race: $120,000 in late money to Hegar

In the final days before the election, Sen. Glenn Hegar, the Republican nominee for comptroller, banked $120,000 in campaign contributions–namely from political action committees and high-dollar individual donors.

Mike Collier on the left, Glenn Hegar opposite

That figure is the same amount as his Democratic opponent Mike Collier garnered in contributions between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25, highlighting Republican candidates’ fundraising advantage in the state.

Mike Collier received $17,500 in the last week, according to finance reports.

The Zachry Corporation PAC, Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association and the Holts, the family that owns the largest Caterpillar dealership in the U.S. and the San Antonio Spurs, all cut $10,000 checks for Hegar’s campaign, according to new campaign finance reports.

 

Wendy Davis gets big checks in final days

Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (Eric Gay/Associated Press)

In the last two days, Democrat Wendy Davis has pulled in more than $800,000 from large donors.

While Davis has large donors, the surge of big checks in the last week stands in contrast to a campaign that has raised close to $35 million mostly from tens of thousands of small contributions under $100.

The big contributors are all women and earlier contributors, including plaintiff’s lawyer and long-time Democratic supporter Amber Mostyn, who gave $367,000; Houston investor Lillie Robertson, $155,000; Dallas arts patron Marguerite Hoffman, $90,000, and medical consultant Laure Woods, $40,000.

Also a late giver is billionaire William Louis-Dreyfus, father of the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. He gave a check for $5,000.

Campaign spokesman Zac Petkanas said the money will go for anticipated expenses and advertising buys.

Republican Greg Abbott’s campaign, which in the course of the campaign has received dozens of checks in excess of $50,000, in the last week of the campaign has thus far reported only one large contribution – $40,000 from Dallas textile manufacturer Arun Agarwal.

In all, as my colleague Wayne Slater reports here , spending by the two contenders in the governor’s race could reach $90 million.

Carona makes peace with Patrick, Van de Putte pulls more Planned Parenthood help

Sen. John Carona talks with a supporter in Dallas on primary night in March. (Kye R. Lee/Staff photographer)

Update at 3:25 p.m.: Have corrected date of Paul Reyes’ and Helen Carona’s contributions to Patrick: They gave on the same day in 2013, not this year.

Original item at 12:43 p.m.: Dallas state Sen. John Carona has continued to make peace with fellow Republican and lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick.

The political action committee at Carona’s business Associa Inc., which manages homeowners’ assocations across the country, gave Patrick $5,000 earlier this week, according to telegram reports to the Texas Ethics Commission.

As my colleague Terrence Stutz reported here nearly 2 1/2 years ago, Carona called Patrick a “snake oil salesman” and a “narcissist that would say anything to draw attention to himself.”

Patrick, R-Houston, said in an email to all senators that Carona had spread a false rumor that Patrick and his wife, Jan, were divorcing. Carona, R-Dallas, replied that Patrick should have first checked with him regarding the allegations before contacting their colleagues. Carona also raised the ante, mentioning rumors about Patrick’s sexual orientation as well. Patrick dismissed as “a lie” suggestions he is gay and demanded Carona apologize.

At the time, Carona didn’t. Late last year, though, the Associa PAC gave $30,000 to Patrick, even as Carona didn’t personally endorse him in the GOP lieutenant governor primary.

In March, Carona lost his Senate seat to tea party-backed Republican Don Huffines in a GOP primary. Since then, he has endorsed Patrick.

Dan Patrick and Leticia Van de Putte shake hands at their televised debate last month. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

As I reported in a story in Wednesday’s newspaper, Associa executive Paul Reyes, a former Carona Senate staff aide, contributed $20,000 to Patrick. That was on top of $5,000 Reyes gave to Patrick in August 2013 — the same day Carona’s wife, Helen, chipped in $2,500 to the Patrick cause.

It appears that Associa may have some legislative irons in the fire.

Meanwhile, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Patrick’s Democratic colleague and opponent for lieutenant governor, reported more than three times as many late contributions as did Patrick.

This week, she took in more than $82,000, to about $23,500 for Patrick.

Just more than half of the contributions on Van de Putte’s telegram reports came from groups supporting abortion rights. Planned Parenthood’s PACs in New York City and Austin donated nearly $30,000 of staff time, phone calls and postage. Annie’s List gave the San Antonio lawmaker a $13,000 check.

As I noted in Wednesday’s story, Patrick strategist Allen Blakemore belittled Van de Putte’s matching Patrick’s fundraising haul of $2 million between Sept. 26 and Saturday. Blakemore noted that one-third of her money was in-kind donations from Planned Parenthood, the liberal group Texas Organizing Project and voter-organizing Battleground Texas.

On Thursday morning, Logan Spence, a long-time Patrick aide, seized on the late assists from Planned Parenthood PACs as a sign Van de Putte would try to lead the Senate in a very different direction on abortion than Patrick would. But then we knew that, didn’t we?

Here’s Spence’s tweet on the subject:

Industry spending big to keep fracking ban out of Denton

Oil and gas industry money keeps stacking up against a measure to ban hydraulic fracturing—the process of blasting chemicals and water deep into the ground to release oil and gas—in North Texas.

Signs promoting opposing views on Denton's proposed fracking ban are on display outside the Denton County Elections Office in Denton, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. (Jim Tuttle/The Dallas Morning News)

According to the latest round of campaign finance reports, energy companies contributed more than $460,000 between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25. That’s on top of the $225,000 industry previously gave “Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy,” the leading group opposed to the ban.

The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that it’s the most expensive campaign in the city’s history. In all, more than $770,000 has been raised by groups opposing and supporting the ban.

If voters approve the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, Denton would be the first city in Texas—the state that leads in oil and gas production—to ban fracking. The ban has put the city at the center of a noisy debate over the safety of fracking, the economic benefit of industry and the power cities have to regulate the activity.

In the latest finance reports, major oil and gas companies such as Chevron, Enervest and XTO poured thousands of dollars into the group “Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy.” While the group did have more donations from individuals than it did in the previous filing period, industry contributions still accounted for more than 98 percent of the $466,000 total. A handful of the near 60 individual supporters listed their residence in Denton.

Denton Taxpayers for a Strong Economy has spent more than $340,000 in the last month on the campaign, including $142,000 for television ads.

Pass the Ban, also known as Frack Free Denton, the group supporting the ban, banked about $24,000 in the same period. The biggest donation came from Earthworks, an environmental group in DC, which donated more than $10,000 in in-kind contributions for postage and mailers. Earlier this month, a Earthworks spokesman said that more than 90 percent of the money for the in-kind contributions came from Denton donors.

The Denton Drilling Awareness Group, the previous name for the proponent group, gave $6,000 of its leftover campaign money to Pass the Ban. About two dozen other individuals—most listing their residence in Denton—contributed the remaining money.

Comptroller candidates enter home stretch on unequal footing

Candidates for state comptroller, Sen. Glenn Hegar and Mike Collier, are heading into the final week of the election on uneven footing.

Mike Collier pictured on left, Glenn Hegar opposite

Hegar, the Republican, has $2.1 million cash on hand, while Collier, the Democrat, has $10,000 left in his coffers, according to new campaign finance filings.

Those reports show Hegar, a rice farmer from Katy, banked more than $900,000 in contributions between Sept. 26 and Oct. 25. Collier, a Houston-area accountant, raised more than $120,000 in the same period.

But Collier has pumped more money into the race in the last month. The Democrat has spent nearly $240,000, mostly on advertising. Hegar has spent $92,000 in the last four weeks.

The two are set to debate tomorrow night in Austin. Theirs is the only down ballot debate scheduled for the general election. Details found here.

Van de Putte edges Patrick, barely, in recent fundraising

Lieutenant governor rivals Dan Patrick, left, and Leticia Van de Putte shake hands last month at their only televised debate (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Update at 12:48 p.m.: I have inserted the two campaigns’ reactions.

Original item at 11:27 a.m.: Democrat Leticia Van de Putte raised more money — barely — than her GOP rival for lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, in the latest reporting period, according to reports posted Tuesday on the Texas Ethics Commission website.

Van de Putte banked $2.086 million in contributions, compared with $2.052 million pocketed by Patrick, the reports showed. So her edge was about $34,000.

“This is what an upset looks like,” Van de Putte campaign finance director Nikki Bizzarri said in a statement. More than 5,200 different donors gave to Van de Putte during the reporting period, which was Sept. 26 through Saturday.

Patrick, though, outspent her by nearly $1 million and enjoyed a better than $1.3 million cash advantage at the period’s close.

“We’re running hard, all the way to the finish line,” Patrick said in a statement. It said nearly 1,000 individuals gave money to him during the period.

Patrick entered the period with nearly $4.3 million, to Van de Putte’s $2.2 million. He spent $3.1 million and had just over $2.8 million in the bank as of Saturday.

She spent $2.2 million during the period and wound up with just less than $1.5 million in cash.

Patrick’s campaign still owes him more than $2 million. Van de Putte hasn’t borrowed for her campaign.

Both candidates are state senators — Van de Putte, from San Antonio; and Patrick, from Houston. They are competing to succeed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, whom Patrick ousted in a hard-fought Republican primary.

Greg Abbott flush with cash in last week of governor campaign

With 8 days left until the election, GOP governor candidate Greg Abbott has reported raising $4.2 million over the last four weeks.

In the latest disclosure report for Sept. 26-Oct. 25, Abbott showed late money is pouring in at a pace of $1 million a week.

He also indicated he’s been on a spending spree with $13 million left in the bank, down from $30 million just four weeks ago.

In all Abbott reports having raised $45 million in his governor’s campaign.

“The incredible support our campaign has received from tens of thousands of Texans is a direct reflection of the enthusiasm Greg Abbott has inspired among Texas voters for his vision to build a better, brighter future for our great state,” said campaign finance director Sarah Whitley.

Cornyn widens financial lead, with $14.1 million raised for reelection

Sen. John Cornyn speaks at the fourth annual Texas Tribune Festival at the University of Texas on Sept. 20, 2014, in Austin. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Rodolfo Gonzalez)

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Cornyn has widened his already commanding financial lead over challenger David Alameel.

The two-term Republican has raised $14.1 million through the end of September, including just over $1 million raised during the previous three months, according to his latest campaign finance filing.

He has $3.9 million cash on hand ready for a final push, if needed. But he’s already way ahead of Alameel both in polls and in financial resources.

Alameel raised a mere $24,000 in the last three months, though the Dallas investor and dentist had long ago abandoned the idea of running a campaign on other people’s money. He recently loaned another $475,000 in personal loans, bringing the campaign’s outstanding debt to him to $1.2 million. Alameel has now put $5.5 million into the race — nearly everything his campaign has spent.

Cornyn’s quarterly report just became available this afternoon at the Senate. Other federal candidates – those running for U.S. House and for president – file electronically to the Federal Election Commission, where records are searchable online. But the Senate has clung to old-fashioned methods.

 

 

As Election Day draws near, Alameel spending slows

David Alameel raised over $24,000 this quarter. (LM Otero/AP)

WASHINGTON – Democratic challenger David Alameel pumped another half-million of his own funds into his effort to unseat Sen. John Cornyn.

He raised only about $24,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to his latest campaign finance report.

That leaves unchanged the fact that Alameel has self-funded the vast majority of his campaign. In the last three-month period he chipped in over $19,000. He also loaned the campaign $475,000, bringing the outstanding loan balance to $1,225,000.

Since filing to run last December, the Dallas dentist and investor has spent over $5.5 million of his own money, including the outstanding loans.That accounts for nearly all of the campaign’s budget.

Little of that has come during the general election. Since winning the Democratic primary runoff on May 27 against Kesha Rogers, Alameel’s spending has slowed considerably.

FEC reports filed since the runoff show less than $700,000 in campaign expenditures, for such things as staff, events, signs and shirts.

The campaign had $67,530 cash on hand at the end of September.

Cornyn’s most recent financial report is not yet available.Through the end of June he had raised $11 million.

The only debate between Cornyn and Alameel will air on Saturday at 10 p.m. on Univision stations in Texas, in Spanish.