GOP House Builder Bob Perry Lost Bid For Capitol Additions
Bob Perry, the top political donor in Texas--and in the nation--increased his giving in the 2006 state elections by 44 percent over 2004. Perry dumped $6.7 million on state candidates and PACs and another $9.3 million on federal races. Among Perry's top slate of Lege candidates, 12 of 14 came away losers on election day.
GOP House Builder Bob Perry Lost Bids For Capitol Additions
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$16 Million Man : |
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December 5 , 2006 |
GOP House Builder Bob Perry
Lost Bid For Capitol Additions |
The No. 1 individual political donor in Texasâand the nationâupped the ante in the 2006 election cycle, contributing $6.7 million to state PACs and candidates. Houston homebuilder Bob Perry increased his political spending this cycle 44 percent over what he spent on Texasâ last election. The money tracked here covers Perryâs contributions to state PACs and candidates from January 2005 to the eve of the November 2006 election.
Bob Perry's Spending
On Texas Politics Skyrockets
Election
Cycle |
Perry's State
Contributions |
2001-2002 |
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2003-2004 |
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2005-2006* |
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*Just to eve of November election.
These figures do not include the additional $9.3 million that Perry poured into federal elections this cycle, an expenditure that made him the nationâs No. 1 federal donor according to Washington-based PoliticalMoneyLine. While Texas imposes no limits on what individuals can contribute to candidates for non-judicial state offices, the federal system bars individuals from giving a candidate more than $2,100 per election. As a result, Bob Perry gave a relatively modest $82,600 of his federal money to traditional PACs and candidates (Democrats received just $2,000 of these hard-money contributions).1
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The vast majority of Perryâs federal contributions went to so-called federal 527 political organizations (named for a section of the federal tax code) that are not subject to contribution limits. His favorite such slush funds were: the Economic Freedom Fund ($5 million); Americans for Honesty on Issues ($2 million); and the Free Enterprise Fund ($1 million). These groups spent Perryâs millions on ads attacking Democratic congressional candidates.2
Back home in the Wild West, Perry spent $6.7 million through the eve of Texasâ 2006 election. He contributed $4.1 million to 146 state candidates and another $2.6 million to 17 state PACs that back multiple candidates. Republicans got 92 percent of the money he contributed directly to state candidates. Moreover, two-thirds of the state PACs that he backed exclusively support Republicans. In contrast, Perry gave to just one all-Democratic committee: Texas 2020 PAC (which supports moderate House Democrats.
Republicans Got 92 Percent of Perryâs State-Candidate Donations
Party |
Perry
Total In
â06 Cycle |
Share |
Number of
Recipients |
Average
Amount |
Rep. |
$3,792,265 |
92% |
116 |
$32,692 |
Dem. |
$315,500 |
8% |
30 |
$10,517 |
TOTAL: |
$4,107,765 |
100% |
146 |
$28,135 | |
Bob Perryâs Multi-Candidate PACs (2006 Cycle)
'06 Amount
From
Bob Perry |
Recipient PAC |
PAC Description |
$780,000 |
Republican Party Of TX |
Republican |
$601,000 |
Texans For Lawsuit Reform |
Business lawsuit protection PAC |
$545,000 |
HillCo PAC |
Bob Perryâs lobby firm |
$125,000 |
Harris Co. Republican Party |
Republican |
$115,000 |
Associated Republicans of TX |
Republican business interests |
$105,000 |
Texas 2020 PAC |
Backs moderate House Democrats |
$100,000 |
Texans FOR Marriage |
Backed amendment barring gay marriage |
$60,000 |
Stars Over TX PAC |
Backs GOP House majority & Craddick |
$50,000 |
TX Opportunity PAC |
Backs conservative Republicans |
$25,000 |
Dallas Co. Republican Party |
Republican |
$25,000 |
TX Fedân of Republican Women Convention |
Republican women |
$15,000 |
South TX Republicans |
Republican |
$11,000 |
Greater Houston Builders Assoc. |
Homebuilder trade group |
$10,000 |
TX Assoc. of Builders |
Homebuilder trade group |
$10,000 |
TX Marriage Alliance |
Backed amendment barring gay marriage |
$2,000 |
Houston Professional Republican Women |
Republican women |
$1,500 |
Republican Party of Fort Bend Co. |
Republican |
$2,580,500 |
TOTAL |
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In addition to his quantitative preference for GOP candidates, Bob Perry qualitatively discriminated between his favorite Republican versus Democratic candidates.
The accompanying tables list the top legislative recipients of Perryâs money broken out by party. Perryâs top GOP legislative candidates include just two incumbents (Gene |
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Seaman and Martha Wong)âboth of whom lost to Democratic challengers this month.
In all, just two of Perryâs top 14 Republican legislative candidates won. Where Republican candidates were concerned, Perry concentrated his money in highly competitive races that had the potential to increase the GOPâs legislative majority. |
Bob Perryâs Top Republican Legislative Races
Amount
From Perry
In â06 Cycle |
Candidate |
Seat |
Incumbency
Status |
2006
Outcome |
Primary
% |
General
% |
Runoff
% |
$262,500 |
Joe Nixon |
S-7 |
Open Seat |
Lost Primary |
9 |
NA |
NA |
$100,000 |
Jim Landtroop |
H-85 |
Open Seat |
Lost |
52 |
48 |
NA |
$100,000 |
Michael Schofield |
H-133 |
Open Seat |
Lost Primary |
35 |
NA |
47 |
$95,000 |
Talmadge Heflin |
H-149 |
Challenger |
Lost |
100 |
46 |
NA |
$85,000 |
George Antuna |
H-118 |
Open Seat |
Lost |
49 |
44 |
81 |
$70,000 |
Ben Bentzin |
H-48 |
Challenger |
Lost |
100 |
0 |
NA |
$70,000 |
Gene Seaman |
H-32 |
Incumbent |
Lost |
100 |
46 |
NA |
$65,000 |
Bill Welch |
H-47 |
Open Seat |
Lost |
39 |
46 |
55 |
$62,500 |
Chris Hatley |
H-99 |
Challenger |
Lost Primary |
42 |
NA |
NA |
$59,500 |
Martha Wong |
H-134 |
Incumbent |
Lost |
100 |
43 |
NA |
$55,000 |
Alex Castano |
H-47 |
Open Seat |
Lost Primary |
28 |
NA |
45 |
$55,000 |
Dan Patrick |
S-7 |
Open Seat |
Won |
69 |
69 |
NA |
$50,000 |
Donald Margo |
S-29 |
Challenger |
Lost |
100 |
41 |
NA |
$50,000 |
Jim Murphy |
H-133 |
Open Seat |
Won |
34 |
56 |
53 | |
Bob Perryâs Top Democratic Legislative Races
Amount
From Perry
In â06 Cycle |
Candidate |
Seat |
Incumbency
Status |
2006
Outcome |
Primary
% |
General
% |
Runoff
% |
$50,000 |
Sylvester Turner |
H-139 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
100 |
NA |
$45,000 |
John Whitmire |
S-15 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
63 |
NA |
$25,000 |
Eddie Lucio III |
H-38 |
Open Seat |
Won |
51 |
64 |
NA |
$22,500 |
Ana Hernandez |
H-143 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
71 |
61 |
$21,000 |
Mario Gallegos |
S-6 |
Incumbent |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
$20,000 |
Norma Chavez |
H-76 |
Incumbent |
Won |
70 |
100 |
NA |
$17,500 |
Rodney Ellis |
S-13 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
100 |
NA |
$17,000 |
Allan Ritter |
H-21 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
100 |
NA |
$15,000 |
Patrick Rose |
H-45 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
60 |
NA |
$11,000 |
Ismael Flores |
H-36 |
Incumbent |
Won |
100 |
100 |
NA |
$10,000 |
Helen Giddings |
H-109 |
Incumbent |
Won |
90 |
90 |
NA |
$10,000 |
Eddie Lucio Jr. |
S-27 |
Incumbent |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA | |
The Democratic legislative candidates who received the largest Perry checks are different. With the exception of Rep.-Elect Eddie Lucio III, every Democrat who got $10,000 or more from Perry was an incumbent who either did not face a 2006 election (Senators Mario Gallegos and Eddie Lucio, Jr.) or who won reelection by a margin of 20 percent or more. Indeed, half of Perryâs favorite Democrats lacked any 2006 opposition.
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When shopping for Republicans, Perry was most generous where he had the potential to increase the GOPâs legislative edge. The Republicans receiving the biggest Perry checks ran in districts with open seats or challenged Democrats in heavily contested races. Perryâs preferred Democrats, on the other hand, were safe-seat incumbents whose races were unlikely to alter the partisan distribution of power in the legislature.
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Perry State Candidate Contributions By Incumbency Status
Incumbency
Status |
Perry
Contributions |
Share of
Perry's Money |
Number of
Recipients |
Average
Contribution |
Incumbent |
$2,362,765 |
58% |
101 |
$23,394 |
Open Seat |
$1,282,500 |
31% |
28 |
$45,804 |
Challenger |
$462,500 |
11% |
17 |
$27,206 |
TOTALS: |
$4,107,765 |
100% |
146 |
$28,135 |
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On average, Perry gave incumbents less money ($23,394) than non-incumbents ($38,778), with open-seat candidates commanding the highest average contribution ($45,804). Overall, however, many more incumbents (101) received money from Perry than did challengers or candidates seeking open seats (45). The sheer breadth of Perryâs reach is remarkable. More than half of all Republican legislative candidates on the November 2006 ballot received $1,000 or more from this one powerful donor. |
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Of the $4.1 million that Bob Perry gave directly to state candidates, winners received 61 percent, losers got 34 percent and officials not facing a 2006 election received the remaining 4 percent.
Led by Governor Rick Perry (no relation to Bob Perry), nine incumbent Republicans who won 2006 reelections to statewide offices received $1.2 million from Bob Perry. This is about half of all the money that Perry gave to winning state candidates in the 2006 cycle. |
Perry State Candidate Contributions By Outcome
Outcome |
Perry
Contributions |
% of Perry's
Money |
Number of
Recipients |
Average
Contribution |
Winners |
$2,511,265 |
61% |
100 |
$25,113 |
Losers |
$1,417,000 |
34% |
37 |
$38,297 |
No '06 Election |
$179,500 |
4% |
9 |
$19,944 |
TOTALS: |
$4,107,765 |
100% |
146 |
$28,135 | |
Perry State Candidate Contributions By Office
Office |
Perry
Contributions |
% of Perryâs
Money |
Number of
Recipients |
Average
Contribution |
Statewide* |
$1,590,265 |
39% |
12 |
$132,522 |
House |
$1,797,000 |
44% |
95 |
$18,916 |
Senate |
$637,000 |
15% |
22 |
$28,955 |
Judicial* |
$83,500 |
2% |
17 |
$4,912 |
TOTALS: |
$4,107,765 |
100% |
146 |
$28,135 | *âStatewideâ includes candidates for the stateâs top civil and criminal courts. |
On average, however, Perry invested more money on losing candidates ($38,297) than winners ($25,113). This again suggests that he was willing to risk more money on uphill or competitive races that had the potential to increase his partyâs control in Texas.
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Yet Texas voters rolled back this goal in 2006. While Republican Glenn Hegar won a senate seat vacated by conservative Democrat Ken Armbrister, Democrats picked up a net gain of six House seats. (See below for a list of all Perry-backed state candidates.)3
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Link to table listing all Perry-backed candidates
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Footnotes:
1. Bob Perry gave a total of $2,000 to Texas Democratic Congressmen Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Al Green of Houston. After the DeLay-led congressional redistricting, Rep. Green beat Chris Bell in the 2004 Democratic primary for Rep. Nick Lampsonâs seat.
2. The Free Enterprise Fund also attacked the opponent of incumbent Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), who successfully ran as an independent after anti-war candidate Ned Lamont defeated him in the Democratic Primary.
3. Democrats picked up one House seat with the special election of Donna Howard on February 14, 2006. They won five more House seats in November.
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| http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=1109 |
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