According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Texas Ethics Commission, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has raised $2,905,247 and spent $2,536,948 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Feb. 19, 2021. Phelan is the number nine fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far.
The speaker of the Texas House is the leader of the state’s lower chamber. Rep. Phelan is a member of the Republican Party and has served as a state representative since 2015. Rep. Phelan is running for re-election in 2022.
Rep. Phelan’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2015-2021)
Contributions to Rep. Phelan
Of the $2.9 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 25.3 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Phelan (1/1/2021 – 2/19/2022)
| Rank | Donor Name | Total Amount | Type |
| 1. | $103,206.25 | Border Health PAC | Entity |
| 2. | $100,000.00 | Arch Aplin III | Individual |
| 3. | $100,000.00 | Michael Porter Family Trust | Entity |
| 4. | $100,000.00 | Robert B Rowling | Individual |
| 5. | $75,000.00 | Thomas D Williams | Individual |
| 6. | $55,000.00 | Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC | Entity |
| 7. | $50,233.61 | Richard Weekley | Individual |
| 8. | $50,000.00 | Catherine and Sam L Susser | Individual |
| 9. | $50,000.00 | Friends of UT Southwestern Medical Center | Entity |
| 10. | $50,000.00 | Gary Gates Jr | Individual |
Expenditures by Rep. Phelan
On the expenditures side, Phelan reported $2.5 million, with 65.5 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping this list.
Top Expenditures by Phelan (1/1/2021 – 2/19/2022)
| Rank | Payee Name | Total Amount | Type |
| 1. | $612,400.00 | Ragnar Research Partners LLC | Entity |
| 2. | $195,106.21 | Murphy Nasica & Associates | Entity |
| 3. | $183,039.36 | Department of US Treasury IRS | Entity |
| 4. | $150,000.00 | Grant Public Strategies | Entity |
| 5. | $120,857.59 | Evan Autry | Individual |
| 6. | $100,000.00 | Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund | Entity |
| 7. | $79,645.49 | Kelly Mitchell | Individual |
| 8. | $75,341.80 | Bmm LLC | Entity |
| 9. | $72,948.11 | Maricruz M Bergman | Individual |
| 10. | $72,366.07 | Julia J Rathgeber | Individual |
How Rep. Phelan’s fundraising compares to other state speakers
Among members of the state legislature, fundraising varies widely. A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for re-election, influence donor activity. Here is how fundraising by Phelan compares to the nine other state speakers with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA for the 2022 election cycle:
Fundraising reported by 10 state speakers in the 2022 election cycle
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Texas PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Semiannual | 1/18/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary (30 Days) | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary (8 Days) | 2/22/2022 |
| 2022 Primary Runoff | 5/16/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/15/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General (30 Days) | 10/11/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General (8 Days) | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual Data | 1/17/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.