Crony Capitalism: The Republican Governors Association in the Perry Years
As Texas Governor Rick Perry’s influence at the RGA increased over the past five years the political finances of both the governor and the Governors Association skyrocketed. The RGA raised a record $216.9 million during the Perry years between January 2006 and June 30, 2011. A remarkable 32 percent of this money ($68.7 million) came from just 139 crossover donors who also gave $13.7 million to Perry’s gubernatorial campaigns. Scattered through the ranks of these donors are gubernatorial appointees, state-regulated businesses and businesses with state-conferred monopolies, taxpayer grants or contracts.
Read the Crony Capitalism report.

Medina highlights questions of money and influence in Capitol
Piggybacking off the national attention being paid to Gov. Rick Perry’s 2007 vaccine mandate and his ties to the vaccine-maker’s lobbyist, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina and other advocates sought to shine the spotlight back on the Texas Capitol. ...They also highlighted the influence of homebuilder Bob Perry, who is one of Perry’s top campaign contributors. “It says something is wrong when one person can buy their own state agency and run it,” said Janet Ahmad, president of HomeOwners for Better Building, referring to the now-defunct Texas Residential Construction Commission that was created in 2003.

Medina, Activists Take Aim at Rick Perry at Capitol
Former gubernatorial candidate and Tea Party favorite Debra Medina and other activists slammed what they called a culture of crony capitalism in Texas politics at a Capitol press conference on Thursday — taking aim at Gov. Rick Perry... At Thursday's press conference, large donations made to Perry's campaign by homebuilder Bob Perry (no relation) also took center stage. Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, said that Bob Perry’s campaign donations resulted in the formation of the now-defunct Texas Residential Construction Commission in 2003, an agency plagued by allegations that it protected homebuilders at the expense of homebuyers. â€œThe resulting agency was so anti-consumer and industry protective that that the Texas Legislature recently abolished it,” Ahmad said. “Meanwhile Bob Perry’s political contributions have become the hallmark of influence for Texas policy.” 

Texas tea partiers decry state 'crony capitalism'
Gov. Rick Perry's run for president is putting a national spotlight on a culture of "crony capitalism" he and the Republican-dominated state Legislature built in Texas, a small group of tea party activists charged Thursday.  Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, complained that homebuilder Bob Perry _ who is not related to the governor but has contributed $14 million to Perry and the Republican Governor's Association _ effectively purchased his own state agency, the Texas Residential Construction Commission, in 2003.

Former gubernatorial challenger Medina takes aim at Perry ‘cronyism’
Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building, said that Bob Perry’s campaign donations resulted in the formation of the now-defunct Texas Residential Construction Commission in 2003, an agency plagued by allegations that it protected homebuilders at the expense of homebuyers. “The resulting agency was so anti-consumer and industry protective that that the Texas Legislature recently abolished it,” Ahmad said. “Meanwhile Bob Perry’s political contributions have become the hallmark of influence for Texas policy.”

Perry Homes settles decade-old lawsuit by Mansfield couple
The two sides appeared in state District Judge Tom Lowe's courtroom Wednesday for a brief status conference but were instead immediately ushered into mediation. It was the third attempt at mediation in the case.

2nd round of mediation ordered in couple's dispute with Perry Homes
A state district judge in Tarrant County ordered a second round of mediation in the 10-year-old case of a Mansfield couple suing Houston-based Perry Homes over shoddy construction on their home.  Bob and Jane Cull received a $58 million judgment from a Tarrant County jury in March in the case. "The parties need to exhaust all efforts to finally settle this long-running dispute," Judge Tom Lowe said in a Nov. 24 letter to the lawyers.

The G.O.P.’s Moneyman
Over the last decade, two Republicans with the last name Perry have dominated the Texas political landscape. One is Rick, the state’s longest-serving governor. The other is Bob (no relation), the state’s largest individual political donor during that time. There is no close secon.  Since 2000, Bob Perry, a wealthy Houston home builder, has contributed about $28 million to more than 400 candidates and political action committees in Texas, according to an analysis of campaign-finance data by The Texas Tribune... Since 2000, Mr. Perry has also contributed at least $38 million more to candidates and groups outside Texas. That includes $10 million to the Republican Governors Association, according to data provided by the Center for Resonsive Politics.He gave $4.4 million to the Swift Boat Veterans campaign that attacked the Vietnam War record of Senator John Kerry... 

Big Gifts to G.O.P. Groups Push Donor to New Level
Now Mr. Rove and his party are benefiting from his old friend’s largess once again, as new federal disclosure reports this week showed that Mr. Perry has given $7 million since September to American Crossroads, the conservative group Mr. Rove helped start. Mr. Perry was the group’s biggest donor. Mr. Perry, 77, has long been a major donor to Republican candidates, with significant contributions to George W. Bush’s campaigns for Texas governor and his presidential races, as well as to Republican groups and causes. But his donations to American Crossroads, which has been become a major force this election season in pushing Republican candidates, along with $4 million to the Republican Governors Association this year, put Mr. Perry in another stratosphere as a conservative version of George Soros, the patron of liberal causes. ... Mr. Perry’s company was drawn into a long controversy over the liability issue when a couple claimed a Perry Homes house was defective. ...in March a jury ordered Perry Homes to pay $58 million in damages.