A Texas grocery magnate has started a new political action committee and seeded the effort with $10 million, backing Democrats and establishment Republicans running for state legislative seats ahead of the November election.
Charles Butt, the heir to the H-E-B supermarket chain, is no stranger to Texas politics. For years, the billionaire has bankrolled efforts against conservatives in the Republican primary and has funded Democrats in general elections.
Just last month, Butt made headlines for siding with Harris County Democrat County Clerk Chris Hollins and his plan to send unsolicited mail-ballot applications to all 2.37 million voters in the county, sending a letter of support to the Texas Supreme Court on official H-E-B letterhead.
His latest political venture—the eponymous Charles Butt Public Education Political Action Committee—filed its first report this week, which shows over $380,000 being spent from the PAC since August 28.
Data shows that the PAC gave double the amount of money to Democrat candidates that it gave to Republicans.
Two lawmakers were tied for the top recipient with $25,000 donated to each candidate: Democrat State Rep. Roland Gutierrez (San Antonio) and Republican State Rep. Drew Springer (Muenster).
Both are currently seeking promotions to the Texas Senate. Gutierrez is attempting to unseat Republican State Sen. Pete Flores (Pleasanton) in the November election, while State Rep. Drew Springer is facing off against Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther in a special election runoff in December.
The full list of donations can be viewed below:
| Amount | Campaign | Party |
|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | ROLAND GUTIERREZ | D |
| $25,000 | DREW SPRINGER | R |
| $10,000 | ERIN ZWEINER | D |
| $10,000 | JAMES TALARICO CAMPAIGN | D |
| $10,000 | JEFF WHITFIELD | D |
| $10,000 | TREY MARTINEZ FISCHER | D |
| $10,000 | STEVE ALLISON | R |
| $10,000 | AKILAH BACY | D |
| $10,000 | TODD HUNTER | R |
| $10,000 | JOHN KUEMPEL | R |
| $10,000 | CELIA ISRAEL | D |
| $10,000 | CHRIS TURNER | D |
| $10000 | TRENT ASHBY | R |
| $10,000 | TRAVIS CLARDY | R |
| $10,000 | DONNA HOWARD CAMPAIGN | D |
| $10,000 | DIEGO BERNAL | D |
| $10,000 | RAFAEL ANCHIA | D |
| $10,000 | ALISA SIMMONS | D |
| $5,000 | JOHN RANEY | R |
| $5,000 | ELIZABETH MARKOWITZ CAMPAIGN | D |
| $5,000 | RHETTA BOWERS CAMPAIGN | D |
| $5,000 | JOHN TURNER | D |
| $5,000 | JULIE JOHNSON | D |
| $5,000 | JON ROSENTHAL | D |
| $5,000 | JOE DESHOTEL | D |
| $5,000 | VIKKI GOODWIN | D |
| $5,000 | JOE MOODY | D |
| $5,000 | ANA-MARIA RAMOS CAMPAIGN | D |
| $5,000 | RHETTA BOWERS CAMPAIGN | D |
| $5,000 | LARRY TAYLOR | R |
| $5,000 | JANE NELSON | R |
| $5,000 | JUAN HINOJOSA | D |
| $5,000 | JUDITH ZAFFARINI CAMPAIGN | D |
| $5,000 | CESAR BLACO | D |
| $5,000 | GINA CALANNI | D |
| $5,000 | JOHN BUCY | D |
| $5,000 | GINA HINOJOSA | D |
| $5,000 | LYNN STUCKY | R |
| $5,000 | GIOVANNI CAPRIGLIONE | R |
| $5,000 | LYLE LARSON | R |
| $5,000 | INA MINJAREZ | D |
| $5,000 | JULIE JOHNSON | D |
| $5,000 | SHARON HIRSCH CAMPAIGN | D |
| $5,000 | JAMES TALARICO CAMPAIGN | D |
| $2,500 | ED THOMPSON | R |
| $2,500 | RYAN GUILLEN | D |
| $2,500 | PHIL KING | R |
| $2,500 | JOHN FRULLO | R |
| $2,500 | BRYAN HUGHES | R |
| $2,500 | BORRIS MILES | D |
| $2,500 | ABEL HERRERO | D |
| $2,500 | EDDIE LUCIO III | D |
| $2,500 | RAMON ROMERO CAMPAIGN | D |
| $2,500 | RAY LOPEZ | D |
| $2,500 | DEWAYNE BURNS CAMPAIGN | R |
| $1,500 | R. D. "BOBBY" GUERRA CAMPAIGN | D |
| $1,500 | VICTORIA NEAVE | D |
| $1,500 | JUSTIN HOLLAND CAMPAIGN | R |
| $1,500 | EDDIE RODRIGUEZ CAMPAIGN | D |
| $1,500 | STAN LAMBERT | R |
| $1,500 | CARL SHERMAN | D |
| $1,500 | PHIL CORTEZ | D |
| $1,500 | LEO PACHECO | D |
| $1,500 | BARBARA GERVIN-HAWKINS | D |
