Ever wondered who runs the state Legislature? Just look at the receipts.
Hearst Newspapers analyzed Texas Ethics Commission data from this cycle to find out which general-purpose PACs spent the most on statewide and legislative races.
A Hearst Newspapers analysis of Texas Ethics Commission data shows a relatively small circle of political action committees pouring tens of millions of dollars into state races, from the state House in Austin to the governor’s mansion. Their donations shape primaries, propping up incumbents or trying to remake the ideological makeup of the Capitol. In the fall, they’ll have significant influence on the partisan balance of the state Legislature.
The data reflects political spending so far this election cycle, from Jan. 1, 2025 and April 20, 2026. To get the best idea of how the money is shaping individual races, we excluded dollars that committees spent on overhead and investments, which can total as much as $15 million for groups like Texans for Lawsuit Reform. We included spending on political activities like advertising, consulting, events and campaign contributions.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform remains by far the most dominant general-purpose political action committee, dispatching more than $21 million this cycle to support Republican candidates. The tort-reform group helped flip the state House from blue to red in early 2000s and has remained a major political force in the Legislature ever since.
ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising behemoth that processes online donations, came in a close second. But it isn’t a strategic spender in the way that TLR is. The $20 million it reported largely represents transactions from small donors, and the group isn’t tied to a single political issue.
Other powerful corporate interests that stood out are the main association for the Texas real estate industry, which spent more than $8 million overall this cycle, and two PACs pushing to legalize gambling in Texas.
Powered by People, Beto O’Rourke’s progressive-aligned voter mobilization group, contributed more than $5 million to elections so far, while on the other side of the aisle, oil magnate Tim Dunn’s hard-right political action committee threw $4.8 million into Republican primaries to support insurgent candidates.
General-purpose PACs aren’t the only players with seemingly endless reserves. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have both dispatched millions of dollars both for their statewide races and the GOP as a whole, with their candidate-specific PACs both ranking among the top five biggest spenders. Texans for Greg Abbott has spent more than $20 million this cycle, including on an application to drive Republican voter turnout, while Texans for Dan Patrick has spent nearly $10 million.