AUSTIN — Lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick scooped up cash for TV campaign ads from some of the Texas GOP’s biggest donors, taking checks from Austin interest groups and lobbyists and adding some new, staunchly conservative givers to the mix.
Patrick raised about $1.5 million — or almost three-quarters of his contributions in the latest reporting period — from about 40 people and 25 political action committees, according to the report he filed with the state.
Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, Patrick’s Democratic opponent, posted slightly more than $2 million in receipts, just as he did.
But Van de Putte had more than 5,200 contributors, compared with about 1,000 for Patrick, the rival campaigns said in news releases.
“This is what an upset looks like," said Van de Putte campaign finance director Nikki Bizzarri, stressing that she pocketed about $34,000 more than Patrick collected from Sept. 26 through Saturday.
Patrick campaign chief strategist Allen Blakemore, though, insisted Van de Putte “in actuality raised just $1.3 million” herself because three liberal groups made nearly $710,000 of in-kind contributions to her campaign.
The Texas Organizing Project gave her almost $275,000 worth of canvassing and phone banks. Planned Parenthood’s Texas Votes PAC chipped in $238,000 of donated food, staff time and organizing efforts. Battleground Texas picked up nearly $197,000 of payroll costs for field staff assisting Van de Putte.
Blakemore said Patrick was vacuuming support and dollars “from the grass roots to the boardrooms.”
The Houston senator’s report showed him receiving $125,000 from Dallas investor Trammell Crow; about $102,000 from Richard and William Scott, co-owners of railroad construction and servicing firm Trans-Global Solutions Inc.; and $100,000 from Temple businessman Drayton McLane.
Contributing $50,000 apiece to Patrick were Carrollton businessman Carl Allen, Southlake energy-production executive Chris Faulkner, Dallas bank owner Gerald Ford and Houston Toyota dealer Don McGill.
Patrick also has cultivated some of the newly emerging funders of fiscal hawk PACs, such as Austin landscaping firm owner Rex Gore and Midland oilman Kyle Stallings, his report showed.
Paul Reyes — an associate of Dallas GOP Sen. John Carona, who feuded with but has now endorsed Patrick — gave $20,000 to the lieutenant governor hopeful. Moderate-conservative Republican Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo helped sponsor a fundraiser and gave Patrick $5,000.
Van de Putte collected nearly $100,000 from teachers’ groups and labor unions; about $50,000 from a McAllen-based PAC and its members who are associated with nearby Edinburg’s Doctors Hospital at Renaissance; and $22,500 from Annie’s List, a group that backs women candidates who support abortion rights.
Among the Democrat’s top individual donors were Austin philanthropist Joe Long, who gave $125,000; Jorge Baldor of Dallas, the head of a tenant-screening and debt-collection firm, and Houston investor Lillie Robertson, both of whom gave $100,000.
Some Van de Putte contributors hail from a bygone political and business elite. Luci Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, gave $5,000; Lan Bentsen of Houston, son of the late U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, $2,500; and H-E-B grocery store heiress Eleanor Crook of San Marcos, $10,000.
Follow Robert T. Garrett on Twitter at @RobertTGarrett.
