Central Texas for Reform

Over the course of the 2020 election cycle, more than $662.5 million dollars were reported as contributions to Texas state-level candidates and PACs. Of that total, an astounding $46.9 million in donations went to Governor Greg Abbott’s campaign account. To put that number in context, Abbott’s donations account for seven percent of all Texas campaign contributions — and over 15 percent of candidate contributions — in an election cycle when he was not up for election. 

Now that lawmakers have convened in Austin, private citizens and PACs are no longer able to make political contributions, so the sole financial influence on lawmakers during the legislative session comes from lobbyists. In fact, in session and out, lobbying is by far the biggest source of money in Texas politics — and taxpayers are footing the bill for a lot of it. This look at the City of Houston is the first installment in our series analyzing the top taxpayer-funded entities in Texas.

Border Health PAC (BHPAC) is the premier supporter of Democrats from the Rio Grande Valley and border region of Texas. They exist to “promote issues of the medical profession along the border of the State of Texas” and spend large amounts of money to do so. Rather than seeking influence on legislation statewide, BHPAC centers its focus on what’s happening at home.