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  • GOP House candidates raise 17 times more cash than Dems

    May 7th 2013

     

    WASHINGTON - Houston has become a bastion of Republican congressional fundraising, with GOP House candidates raising more than 17 times as much campaign cash from area donors as their Democratic counterparts in the first three months of 2013.

    A Houston Chronicle analysis of Federal Election Commission data found that Texas and national Republicans raised nearly $387,000 from the Houston metropolitan area through March 31. Democrats raised about $22,000 during the same period.

    Houston wasn't the only big-dollar center turning its back on Democrats. Republicans, who represent 24 of the state's 36 congressional districts, also trounced Democrats in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, $801,000 to $138,000. Democrats reported zero congressional contributions in the Panhandle, the High Plains and Deep East Texas.

    Border good to Dems

    The only section of the state dominated by Democrats was along the Texas-Mexico border region, where the party raised nearly $197,000 to $9,500 for Republicans.

    The top Houston-area fundraisers were Republican Reps. Bill Flores of Bryan, with $253,000, and Kevin Brady of The Woodlands, with $132,000. The state's most prolific fundraiser was Republican Jeb Hensarling of Dallas, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, with $617,000. The leading Democrat was freshman Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine, who represents the only politically competitive congressional district in the state.

    Flores' contributions included what may be the final federal contribution by the late Houston real-estate magnate Bob Perry, who gave the retired Houston energy executive $1,000 on March 14, about a month before he died.

    "I'm proud to be a person that he would support - whether first, last or middle," Flores said. "He will be fondly remembered as one of the integral folks in transforming the state from 'blue' to 'red.' "

    Wide range of sources

    Texas lawmakers received their donations from a wide range of sources - and locations. Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee raised 100 percent of her campaign cash from Texas donors, the only member of the Texas delegation to rely exclusively on local contributors. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Tyler Republican, received 88 percent of his contributions from Texans.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum, Houston Democrat Gene Green raised less than 12 percent of his meager $36,000 haul from the Lone Star State.

  • Congressman Mike Conaway of Midland, Lilly & Company client, more than triples his fundraising!

    April 17th 2013

    Shuster fundraising soars as donors shift from Mica

    It’s good to be the chairman.

    House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster raised nearly $500,000 in the first quarter, six times what he brought in two years ago and almost 10 times what former Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) made in his first quarter without the gavel.

    At this pace, Shuster is on track to eclipse in 2013 the $1.6 million he raised in all of 2011 and 2012.

    Part of the shift in donations is normal as lobbyists and industry groups donate to the chairman that oversees their issues. But more importantly, a transportation lobbyist said, is that Shuster is so well-respected in the transportation community.

    “I think it’s the routine,” the lobbyist said of the Pennsylvania Republican's large haul. “But I think people are incredibly optimistic about Shuster. It’s him as a person and as a congressman. He’s viewed as such a reasonable person by the other side of the aisle.”

    It’s not just Shuster who has benefitted from Republican term-limit rules that bring in a new group of chairmen every couple of years.

    New Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) more than doubled his first quarter contributions from 2011 to 2013, and both Foreign Relation Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) bumped up their fundraising over the period by more than $100,000 when they took their new posts.

    But other new leaders, such as Science Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and House Administration Chairwoman Candice Miller (R-Mich.), all brought in less money in the first filing period of 2013 than they did in 2011.

    New House Ethics Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) nearly tripled his fundraising over that same period from $132,000 to $362,000. But Shuster’s exponential lift in fundraising stands out in the House Republican Caucus — and comes as he prepares to wield the gavel over a passenger rail bill this year and a surface transportation bill in 2014 that could easily set up more than $100 billion in spending.

  • Texas Freshman Republican, Roger Williams, is one of the top fundraisers in the new Congress!

    April 17th 2013

    Long time client of Lilly & Company from Chairman of Texas Victory to the United States Congress.

    Twenty-three new House members of the 113th Congress made time to raise more than $250,000 in campaign funds during their first three months in office. Sixteen are Democrats and seven are Republicans.

    Patrick Murphy (D-FL) $557,912: Joe Garcia (D-FL) $550,727; Thomas Cotton (R-AR) $526,515; Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) $516,764; Roger Williams (R-TX) $414,286; Rodney Davis (R-IL) $403,555; Brad Schneider (D-IL) $390,207; Lois Frankel (D-FL) $386,204; Andy Barr (R-KY) $365,747; Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) $352,544; Dr. Paul Ruiz (D-CA) $344,825; Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) $333,063; Ann Kuster (D-NH) $318,542; Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) $314,138; Dan Maffei (D-NY) $307,242; Amil Bera (D-CA) $303,493; Ann Wagner (R-MO) $288,208; Derek Kilmer (D-WA) $268,943; Keith Rothfus (R-PA) $264,684; Eric Swalwell (D-CA) $262,811; Scott Peters (D-CA) $258,290; Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) $253,046; and Steve Daines (R-MT) $252,869.

    A full listing of all 2013 candidate figures is available on Political MoneyLine’s Candidate $ Leaders chart, rankable by receipts, disbursements, amount from individuals, amount from PACs, cash on hand, and debts. Subscription required.

    Update: Two other members have been added after initial posting. Patrick Murphy and Rodney Davis.

  • ANOTHER TAKE ON THE STRAUS HIRE OF PARHAM

    April 3rd 2013

    Former KBH chief of staff follows Straus pattern of team building

    Speaker Joe Straus’ hire of former Hutchison chief of staff Lindsey Parham to his political operation set off the predictable round of speculation as to what new job he would be seeking and whether it would be in Texas or D.C,.

    The hire plays to the “move up the food chain” narrative but it misses a bigger story.

    One of Straus’ first hires as speaker was Karen Hughes, counselor and confidant to former Governor George W. Bush. Of course she followed Bush to Washington, but her political roots are pure Texas Republican. Hughes is from the generation that built the Republican majority.

    Straus’ fundraiser is Susan Lilly who also did work for Hutchison. Working for Hutchison was supposed to be the kiss of death in Rick Perry’s world. But her Republican credentials are impeccable. Her father was a former East Texas Republican Party County chair during the party building days and besides Straus her client list includes Jerry Patterson, eleven members of the Texas GOP congressional delegation and dozens more.

    His legislative director is a former Perry legislative director, Patricia Shipton who’s knowledge of the political games inside the pink dome are borne of long experience

    Of course Straus is accumulating talent for some possible future run. Half of political success is putting yourself in the path of possible opportunity. More importantly, he is keeping engaged and dynamic a network of veterans and realists who represent the deepest roots of traditionally conservative, pro-business, non-Ron Paul style Republicanism. It doesn’t hurt that they know Texas politics and players as well as anyone.

    The depth of the networks and institutional memory these four strong women incorporate honors the core of the Reagan-Bush-Hutchison style of governing…more measured with less chest thumping and fist waving than most Republicans who currently control the microphone.

    The Republican environment is unstable. Much is on hold in Texas until Governor Perry decides what he is going to do. Lt. Governor Dewhurst is trying to rebrand himself by positioning further to the right. Austin’s great bar game is speculating whether or not Greg Abbott’s decision to run for Governor is contingent on the incumbent’s decision.

    Under Steve Munisteri, the Republican Party of Texas has righted itself, no longer trying to pick winners and losers in primaries and leading self-indulgent purification rituals. It is financially stable and remembers its core mission is about electing Republicans. No one is more attuned to Texas’ possibly purple future than Munisteri

    The state is reliably Republican for at least the next couple of election cycles but Democrats are beginning to find a voice. And while there were any number of undercurrents, the only election in the state that truly tested the viability of the Obama coalition of women, minorities and millennials was the Davis-Shelton state Senate race.

    Political markets come and go. But the Parham hire once again confirms that Straus remains self-confident, independent and is not intimidatable.