Texas senate president raises $11.8 million this election cycle


According to campaign finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has raised $11,825,311 and spent $6,478,357 between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 16, 2022. Patrick currently serves as the president of the state senate.

Patrick is a member of the Republican Party and assumed office in 2015. In Texas, the president of the senate is one of the roles of the lieutenant governor. The primary job of a state senate president is to preside over legislative sessions and ensure that members of the chamber abide by procedural rules. Patrick is running for re-election and his current term ends in 2023.

Patrick’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter 2017-2022

Contributions to Patrick

Of the $11.8 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, $2.3 million came from the top 10 donors.

Top Donors to Patrick (1/1/2021 – 5/16/2022)

RankTotal AmountDonor NameDonor Type
1.$350,000.00R Drayton McLane JrIndividual
2.$350,000.00Robert B RowlingIndividual
3.$250,200.00H Ross Perot JrIndividual
4.$250,000.00Douglas ScharbauerIndividual
5.$250,000.00S Javaid AnwarIndividual
6.$200,000.00James D Pitcock JrIndividual
7.$175,000.00Edward Roski JrIndividual
8.$175,000.00Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PACEntity
9.$165,000.00HillCo PACEntity
10.$152,200.00Kelley and Michael Hernandez IIIIndividual

Expenditures by Patrick

Patrick reported $6,478,357 in expenditures, with $5,015,851 going to the 10 payees topping this list. 

Top Expenditures by Patrick (1/1/2021 – 5/16/2022)

RankTotal AmountPayee NamePayee Type
1.$2,565,761.35Political Communications AdvertisingEntity
2.$742,988.00Blakemore & AssociatesEntity
3.$358,294.12Raconteur Media CompanyEntity
4.$262,456.43John Doner & Associates IncEntity
5.$255,284.21Case Hall & CompanyEntity
6.$210,647.95Solutions in Texas for Fundraising LLCEntity
7.$181,366.37American ExpressEntity
8.$174,053.00Baselice & Associates IncEntity
9.$150,000.00Pete FloresEntity
10.$115,000.00Dan PatrickIndividual

How donations to Patrick compare to the equivalent role in other states

A number of factors, including whether the position holder is the lieutenant governor or a state senator, can influence donor activity. Here is how Patrick compares to the 10 other senate presidents with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:

Across the U.S., 30 senate presidents are members of the Republican Party and 19 are members of the Democratic Party, with one vacancy. The lieutenant governor serves as the president of the senate in 25 states. In other states, the president of the senate is a state senator chosen by the members of the chamber. 

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Texas PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report NameReport Due Date
2022 Jan Semiannual1/18/2022
2022 Pre-Primary (30 Days)1/31/2022
2022 Pre-Primary (8 Days)2/22/2022
2022 Primary Runoff5/16/2022
2022 Jul Semiannual7/15/2022
2022 Pre-General (30 Days)10/11/2022
2022 Pre-General (8 Days)10/31/2022
2022 Semiannual Data1/17/2023

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.