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. 

You know those iffy charges from your last work trip that you decided not to include on your expense report because they’d probably get flagged by HR? Whether it was that $10 candy from the hotel mini-bar, a round of golf that wasn’t necessarily all business, or new underwear because you forgot to pack any, some expenses are more questionable (or embarrassing) than others.

“Everything’s bigger in Texas.” This year the famous quip may apply not only to Texas cowboy hats, ranches, and our “taller-than-the-one-in-DC” capitol building, but also to Texas’ outsized impact on American politics. Indeed, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recently told a crowd in Houston that Texas is “ground zero” for the 2020 elections.