Every candidate and committee in Texas just filed its mid-year money report. We read all 1.4 million contributions so you don't have to. The short answer: fewer people than you think.
Over one million of the period's 1.37 million contributions were under $50 — together they add up to just $15 million. The real money arrives in far fewer, far larger envelopes.
In the first half of 2026, exactly 30 contributions of $1 million or more were reported to the Texas Ethics Commission. Those 30 checks total more than three-and-a-half times everything given in gifts under $50 — combined.
Every mark on this page is drawn to the same dollar scale. The thirty checks on the left outweigh the million gifts on the right, 3.6 to 1.
Rank all 366,023 donors from largest to smallest and add them up as you go. The line below climbs almost vertically: the top 100 donors gave 40.6% of every dollar, and the top 1% gave 75.5%.
Tort-reform money, trial-lawyer money, self-funding candidates — and a striking amount of it postmarked from outside Texas. Five of the top fifteen donors this cycle sit in California, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. or Virginia.
Gov. Greg Abbott's committee banked $28.3 million — nearly twice the next Texas committee. And one name appears on both sides of the ledger: State Sen. Mayes Middleton is the #3 donor and a top recipient, largely bankrolling his own run for Attorney General.
Money moves on the election calendar. Giving more than doubled in the sprint to the March 3 primary, collapsed the month after, and is climbing again as November approaches.
Every number on this page comes from public filings. Before you vote in November, spend five minutes seeing who paid for the campaign in your mailbox.
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