One Week Out & The Money Comes Rolling In: Where Leininger Supported PACs Are Spending Money

[This is Part II of a two part-post on financial reports. Find Part I here.]

The spending activities ofeveral political action committees to which James Leininger has been a major contributor in these final days and weeks leading up to the November 7 general election illustrate a number of races Republicans evidently feel they have either chances of making gains in or races in which GOP incumbents are in serious danger of being defeated.

Associated Republicans of Texas

Associated Republicans of Texas, which received nearly 70 percent of its funding in the most recent reporting period from voucher advocate Leininger spent more money in House District 17 than in any other race.

ART has poured $130,100 into Republican Tim Kleinschmidt’s campaign. Kleinschmidt is attempting to defeat incumbent Democrat Robby Cook.

Republican’s ‘East Texas Strategy’ is visible elsewhere in ART’s expenditures, too.  ART spent $20,100 in supporting Republican Kirby Hollingsworth, who is trying to defeat Mark Homer (D-Paris) in HD 3.
ART also gave $10,000 to Larry Durrett who is opposing Chuch Hopson (D-Jacksonville) in HD 11.

ART’s most recent major contributions are as follows:

Bill Welch HD 47: 3000.00
George Antuna HD 118: 50,000.00
Jeff Fleece HD 50: 10,000
Jody Anderson, HD 12: 50,000
Joe McComb, HD 33: 10,000.00
Kirby Hollingsworth, HD 3: 15,000.00
Kirby Hollingsworth, HD 3: $5,100.00
Larry Durrett, HD 11: 10,000.00
Michael Esparza, HD 35: 50,000
Nelson Baldilo, HD 125: 60,000.00
Rose Vela, COA District 13: 1000.00
Shirley Craft, HD 69: 30,000.00
Shirley Craft, HD 69: $5,100.00
Sylvia Spiey, HD 137: $8,000.00
Talmadge Heflin, HD 149: $5,000.00
Talmadge Heflin, HD 149: $5,000.00
Unspecified opinion polling: $15,300
Tim Kleinschmidt, HD 17: $50,000.00
Tim Kleinschmidt, HD 17: $5,100.00
Tim Kleinschmidt, HD 17: $25,000.00
Tim Kleinschmidt, HD 17: $50,000.00

Republican Party of Texas

Following its methods for the last couple of election cycles, the Republican Party of Texas’ political action committee has made significant in-kind contributions in a number of districts to support Republican candidates and oppose their Democratic opponents. In addition, the RPT made direct mail expenditures on behalf of the campaigns of statewide candidates including Perry, Dewhurst, Combs, Staples and Abbott.

The list of candidates the RPT did direct mail on behalf of includes:

In-Kind Mailer: Shirley Craft Campaign
In-Kind Direct Mail: Larry Durrett
In-Kind Direct Mail: Frank Corte
In-Kind Direct Mail: Kirk England
In-Kind Direct Mail: David Dewhurst
In-Kind Direct Mail: Susan Combs
In-Kind Direct Mail: Nelson Balido
In-Kind Direct Mail: George Antuna
In-Kind Direct Mail: Greg Abbott
In-Kind Direct Mail: Michael Esparza
In-Kind Direct Mail: Dee Margo
In-Kind Direct Mail: Jody Anderson
In-Kind Direct Mail: Jerry Patterson
Generic GOTV Mailer
In-Kind Direct Mail: Martha Wong
In-Kind Direct Mail: Bill Welch
In-Kind Direct Mail: Todd Staples
In-Kind Direct Mail: Sylvia Spivey
In-Kind Direct Mail: Bill Keefer
In-Kind Direct Mail: Texans for Rick Perry
In-Kind Direct Mail: Jeff Fleece
In-Kind Direct Mail: Jim Murphy
In-Kind Direct Mail: Mike Hamilton
In-Kind Direct Mail: Gene Seaman
In-Kind Direct Mail: Tony Goolsby
In-Kind Direct Mail: Joe McComb
In-Kind Direct Mail: Talmadge Heflin
In-Kind Direct Mail: Kirby Hollingsworth
In-Kind Direct Mail: Elizabeth Ames Jones
In-Kind Direct Mail: Ted Kenyon
In-Kind Direct Mail: Tim Kleinschmidt
In-Kind Direct Mail: Jim Landtroop
In-Kind Direct Mail: Toby Goodman
In-Kind Direct Mail: Kirby Hollingssworth
In-Kind Direct Mail: Michael Esparza
In-Kind Direct Mail: Larry Durrett

Typically, the RPT’s direct mail looks strikingly similar from district to district across the state and is usually highly negative in its content.

The RPT also paid payroll taxes referenced to the state senate race of Dee Margo in El Paso. It is unclear if the RPT has hired campaign staff for MArgo or a field worker to work independent of the race.

Stars Over Texas

House Speaker Tom Craddick’s Stars over Texas PAC, his “leadership PAC,” has also made significant expenditures for everything from polling to television ads in various districts across the state.

Stars Over Texas spent more money in HD 47, the race between Valinda Bolton and Republican Bill Welch to succeed Terry Keel, than in any other race. Stars over Texas spent $185,000 in that district. Other expenditures and direct contributions include:

Gene Seaman: Media, phones, mail, research
George Antuna: $15,000; $10,000, mail
Jimmy Don Aycock: $5,000
Glenda Dawson: $15,000
Kirk England: $10,000
Susan King: $7,500; $15,000
Toby Goodman: $25,000; $20,000; $25,000
Mike Hamilton: $25,000
Bill Keffer: $20,000; $25,000
Jim Landtroop: $150,000
Martha Wong: direct mail
Bill Welch: $100,000 in kind media; $35,000; $50,000

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