STATEMENT: Hinojosa on Greg Abbott’s Latest Campaign Finance Report

After burning through $146 million this cycle, Abbott is down by three or more points in consecutive independent polls

Austin, TX – Today, Democratic nominee for Texas Governor Gina Hinojosa released the following statement on Greg Abbott’s campaign finance report showing most of his money comes from billionaire CEOs and data center corporations.

“There’s one fight this year: does Texas belong to the people, or is this the billionaires’ world and we just live here?” Hinojosa said. “While hundreds of schools are closing, data centers are taking over communities, and prices are skyrocketing, Greg Abbott is answering to no one but his billionaire donors. Texans are ready for change, and the more Abbott spends, the more our campaign surges. 

“Unlike Abbott, I’m proud to say that working Texans are chipping in what they can into this campaign. Texans deserve a governor who will secure the American Dream by saving our public schools, putting money back in their pockets, and ending Abbott’s decades of corruption – and come November, I’m ready to deliver.”

Abbott’s fundraising is again dependent on billionaire donors, not hardworking Texans – over $14 million of the total $20 million raised came from just 52 six-figure donations. See more about the donors in Abbott’s recent filing below:

  • In the last two filing periods, Abbott has received $5.2M directly from business entities, $2.6 million from PACs and at least $6.9M from oil, gas, energy and utility interests.
  • Just 52 donors accounted for over $14M — more than 70% of everything Abbott raised.
  • 5 donors gave $1M+ (more than 27.5% of the haul); 5 gave $500K+ (14% of the haul); 17 gave $250K+ (20.5% of the haul).
  • Greg Abbott is worried. Immediately after the first poll showing Abbott losing to Gina Hinojosa, he called and received $4M in days from 4 of his closest megadonors.
  • Abbott is burning through cash. He has spent $146 million on this cycle alone, surpassing his $140 million spend in 2022. 

Just a few of Abbott’s donor friends from this year:

  • Jeff Yass – $1,000,000 in this quarter. This is an addition to the $12 million the out-of-state billionaire has now given Greg Abbott to gut $1 billion from Texas public schools for his unaccountable private school voucher scam.
  • Alex Fairly – $3,500,000 given in the last two filings. The Republican megadonor who has been funding Republicans for years, gave to Abbott through his two PACs: DealON LLC and the Texas Republican Leadership Fund.
  • Paul Foster – $500,000 given in the last two filings. Former ERCOT chair appointed by Greg Abbott after Winter Storm Uri who oversaw the initial era of data center expansion at ERCOT.
  • H. Ross Perot Jr. –$750,000 given the last two filings. CEO of Hillwood development, which is building a massive 400 acre data center in Fort Worth, which will house Meta’s hyperscale facility. 
  • Robin Rosenzweig – $250,000 given this quarter. Wife of Elliott Broidy, “a scandal-plagued Republican fundraiser” who pleaded guilty to “trying to illegally lobby Trump and his administration,” “one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” and paying “almost $1M to New York state officials to secure business with the state’s pension fund.”
  • Kelcy Warren and Thomas Long – $600,000 given in the last two filings. Co-CEO of Energy Transfer, owned by Kelcy Warren. Energy Transfer made billions in record profits after Winter Storm Uri, and have now branched into data center power generation.
  • Andrew Schaap – $50,000 given this quarter. CEO of Aligned Data Centers, who is already operating data centers in Texas, and looks unaffected by Abbott’s “audit.”

###