Texas oligarchy

The Texas oligarchy is a group of about 3-dozen mega-donors who control Texas elected officials, which they generally conceal from the public and the voters whom they purport to serve. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has monopolized the Texas oligarchy in a way never seen before, such that he can punish any Republican by influencing the flow of these tens of millions of dollars.

Unlike Federal law and most state laws (which limit the amounts that can be given to a candidate), Texas has no such limits.

An example is their demand for the Convention of States to call a new constitutional convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution, which Justice Antonin Scalia described as a "horrible idea." Yet every Texas Republican voted for this because the Texas oligarchy demanded it (though the most recent call was defeated on a point of order).

The oligarchs are wealthy globalists who take advantage of the lack of any contribution limits in Texas elections, in contrast with the vast majority of states that contribution limits. Their agenda includes keeping the border open for cheap labor, and punishing social conservatives who get in their way.

Expansive early voting procedures in Texas make state elections far more expensive than they should be, as candidates are compelled to spend on get-out-the-vote efforts over an extended period of weeks. This makes the politicians overly depending on mega-donors in order to be reelected in Texas.

Control of Gov. Abbott

There are 39 oligarchs who have donated at least $1 million to Gov. Greg Abbott since 1995. "Their donations add up to about $78 million, more than one-fourth of what Abbott has raised overall."

The Texas Tribune explains:

“

Abbott is easily the strongest fundraiser Texas has ever seen. Most of his haul — $282 million when adjusted for inflation — was raised during his time campaigning for governor over the past decade. Adjusted for inflation, Abbott’s predecessor, Perry, raised $171 million over 14 years while the previous governor, Bush, raised $79 million over six.

”

Conversely, Abbott can use his oligarchy to defeat virtually any officeholder in Texas, an influence that Abbott or his allies may have misused to cause 60 House Republicans to vote for the Paxton Impeachment.

Oil and Gas

The donations by oil and gas executives and industry groups in Texas went almost entirely to Gov. Abbott, with a bit going to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick:

• Gov. Greg Abbott - $12,204,717

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick - $2,992,782

• Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian - $838,287

• Candidate for Attorney General George P. Bush - $583,954

• Attorney General Ken Paxton - $562,201

Dade Phelan Campaign

Texas also has no limits on how campaign contributions can be spent. As such, Speaker Dade Phelan provided large contributions to many candidates for Texas Representative seats. The five largest were:

• John Lujan - $446,649.99 (Lujan was the incumbent for District 118, and successfully held the seat)
• Stephanie Klick - $419,826.10 (Klick was the incumbent for District 91, and successfully held the seat)
• Jamee Jolly - $415,000 (Jolly was running for the open District 70 seat, but was defeated by the Democratic candidate in a district which, due to California transplants, is turning into a Democrat one)
• Glenn Rogers - $305,499.18 (Rogers was the incumbent for District 60, and successfully fended off three challengers in the primary, though a runoff was required; Rogers had no opposition in the general election)
• Ben Bumgarner - $285,757 (Bumgarner was running for the open District 63 seat, successfully fended off three challengers in the primary, though a runoff was required (Bumgarner defeated Jeff Younger, notable for his public and messy divorce case and child custody battles with his ex-wife over her desire to transition their child's gender), and then held the seat for the Republicans in the general election)

The four winning candidates above (Lujan, Klick, Rogers, and Bumgarner) all voted to impeach Paxton.

Dick Weekley

Ranked #3 in the Texas oligarchy of mega-donors who pour millions into elections in Texas, Weekley is thought to be one of the oligarchs who secretly pushed for the ambush impeachment of Ken Paxton. Weekly has taken an immense contribution by a social conservative and yet advances the liberal agenda by pushing for the removal of this elected conservative official. Dick Weekley is a Houston real estate oligarch, co-founder (with brother David) of David Weekley Homes, one of the largest builders of tract homes in Texas.

Weekley was a big supporter of Eva Guzman in the March 2022 primary, whom Paxton defeated by a landslide. Weekley may have felt humiliated by how his candidate received only 17.5% (third behind Paxton and Bush, only ahead of Gohmert) of the vote in running against Paxton in that primary. Weekley apparently poured more than $5 million from himself (more than $1M), the Texans for Lawsuit Reform organization he controls (more than $3M), and wealthy donors he directs (e.g., Jan E. Duncan), into supporting Guzman in that failed attempt to defeat Paxton in his March 2022 primary.