1. Texas Association of REALTORS PAC ($35,867,910): The Realtors are the powerhouse of money in Texas politics. Yes, you might be surprised to find that your realtor’s professional dues support one of the most powerful — and certainly the most well-funded — PACs in Texas. What might be even more surprising is that the Texas Association of Realtors PAC (TREPAC) frequently uses its political heft to support liberal Republicans and the occasional Democrat. Apparently, this cycle, they believed their PAC account was too flush with cash, as they purchased more than $29 million of money market instrument mutual funds at Frost Bank. As for TREPAC’s donations directly to candidates, they appear to be motivated primarily by the desire to curry favor with those in power in Austin. They supported incumbents of every stripe in 2018, from the most conservative Republicans ($101,042 to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and $60,000 to State Sen. Don Huffines) to liberal Republicans and Democrats ($55,000 to State Rep. Charlie Geren and $50,000 to State Sen. John Whitmire). During the all-important and ideologically-revealing primary season, the Realtors tended to support the more moderate to liberal candidate in each race, including State Reps. Jason Villalba and Wayne Faircloth and State Sen. Kel Seliger this election season. TREPAC’s largest donation to a candidate this cycle was $140,000 to Cody Harris, a realtor himself, who won one of the most watched elections of the primary season to take the seat of retiring State Rep. Byron Cook. With more than $29 million in the bank, $6.7 million dollars cash-on-hand in their PAC account, and the proven willingness to spend it, the Realtors will be a formidable force in Texas politics for the foreseeable future.
The Black Women's PAC
Texas Committee
$5,034Cash on Hand
$40,774Total Contributions
$34,829Total Expenditures
Financial Activity
Top Contributors
Total Contributions | Name |
|---|---|
| $6,500.00 | Communications Workers of America Cwa Cope PAC Federal |
| $5,000.00 | Texans for Fairness and Justice (DISSOLVED) |
| $1,500.00 | Lawton Aurdrie |
| $1,275.00 | Grill Ten Eleven |
| $1,100.00 | Christopher Hollins |
| $1,000.00 | Carla Brailey |
| $1,000.00 | Senfronia Thompson |
| $870.00 | Aggregated Unitemized Contributions |
| $720.00 | Baldwin Shannon |
| $668.00 | Hollins Christopher |
Top Payees
Total Expenditures | Payee |
|---|---|
| $6,400.00 | Aceves Communications LLC |
| $5,931.19 | Sheraton Hotels |
| $2,300.00 | Painter Communications |
| $1,355.18 | Maggiano's Little Italy |
| $1,150.00 | Print N Sign Printer |
| $1,105.54 | Grace Restaurant |
| $1,024.30 | American Airlines |
| $937.03 | Hotels.com |
| $765.00 | Audrie Lawton |
| $759.37 | Reilly Echols Printing Inc |
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(10) T. Dan Friedkin – Owner and CEO of Gulf States Toyota, the largest private company in Houston. In 2016, according to Forbes, Mr. Friedkin ranked as the 162nd wealthiest person in the United States. In his spare time, Mr. Friedkin flies World War II-era P-51 Mustangs with an aerial acrobatic troupe. Over the course of the last election cycle he gave $807,602 to Texas candidates and PACs.