It’s great to be back in the Lone Star State! 

Texas politicians will be posting their fundraising numbers later today. Here is today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Monday, July 15, 2019
Update your email preferences.

• One of the best resources for campaign finance information in Texas is TransparencyTexas.org. Most of today’s bullets are taken from their research. Sign up for their free updates and reports.
      

• State officials were prohibited from raising money in the “blackout” period surrounding the legislative session – Dec. 9, 2018, through June 16, 2019. What incumbents will report later today is reflective of their fundraising activities during the last two weeks of June.
     

• During the 2018 election cycle – defined as Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 8, 2018 – there were $493 million in donations and $630 million in expenditures.
     

• Here are the top-3 PACs by spending in the 2018 election cycle. The Texas Association of REALTORS; they spent $54 million. Next was the Democrat-promoting ActBlue, spending $10.2 million. Texans for Lawsuit Reform spent $8.6 million.
     

• Meanwhile, the re-election campaigns of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spent $85 million and $25 million, respectively. Their Democrat challengers reported expenditures of $1.7 million and $1.5 million. Rounding out the “Big 3” statewide officials, Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign spent $12.8 million; his Democrat challenger spent $6.5 million. 
      

• (Our conservative-focused political action committee spent $5.77 million during the 2018 cycle.)
     

• TransparencyTexas.org reports there were 2,355,803 individual contributions to Texas’ state-level candidates and PACs. 
      

• “A whopping 98 percent of the contributions — that’s 2,308,643 individual donations — were for $1,000 or less.” – TransparencyTexas.org
      

• While TransparencyTexas.org focuses exclusively on money, another great election-related resource is Direct Action Texas. They focus on the mechanics of elections and electioneering – including ballot fraud.

• Special thanks to Morgan Williamson and Brandon Waltens for covering the Texas Minute while I was away.
      

• I spent nearly two weeks hiking more than 75 miles of Philmont Scout Ranch in the New Mexico backcountry with my son and a crew from his troop.
      

• Nothing can compare to watching my son step up as a servant-leader with his fellow scouts, taking on the myriad of daily tasks and responsibilities everyone must bear on such a trek. I’m very proud of him and his pals.
      

• Personally: Two weeks without much in the way of cell service - meaning no email or text messages - was glorious! I miss the smell of the pine trees, the cool mountain air, and the glorious vistas, but being back in the Lone Star State is even better. And the simple pleasure of waking up the last few mornings in a bed I didn’t have to roll up and place on my back was nice!