Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Texas State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. It includes activity between January 1, 2021, and February 19, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Texas State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in Texas State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers were:
- John Whitmire (District 15) – $505,196
- Royce West (District 23) – $414,698
- Judith Zaffirini (District 21) – $313,071
- Nathan Johnson (District 16) – $283,286
- Morgan LaMantia (District 27) – $246,275
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers were:
- Mayes Middleton (District 11) – $2,014,767
- Dawn Buckingham – $1,755,669
- Kevin Sparks (District 31) – $1,204,386
- Peter P. Flores (District 24) – $1,033,830
- Phil King (District 10) – $936,332
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $3.27 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $14.40 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the January 1, 2021, through February 19, 2022, filing period raised $17.67 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 54 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 48 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top ten fundraisers during this period.
TOP TEN FUNDRAISERS – TEXAS STATE SENATE (January 1, 2021, through February 19, 2022)
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Mayes Middleton | Republican Party | $2,014,767 | $1,897,663 |
| Dawn Buckingham | Republican Party | $1,755,669 | $2,447,281 |
| Kevin Sparks | Republican Party | $1,204,386 | $1,190,819 |
| Peter P. Flores | Republican Party | $1,033,830 | $877,928 |
| Phil King | Republican Party | $936,332 | $1,017,324 |
| Angela Paxton | Republican Party | $838,760 | $323,331 |
| Tan Parker | Republican Party | $822,571 | $1,039,875 |
| Kelly Hancock | Republican Party | $542,910 | $323,792 |
| John Whitmire | Democratic Party | $505,196 | $6,052,058 |
| Charles Schwertner | Republican Party | $503,829 | $359,302 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Texas Ethics Commission. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. In 2022, Transparency USA will publish campaign finance data after the following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Semiannual | 1/18/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary (30 Days) | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-Primary (8 Days) | 2/22/2022 |
| 2022 Primary Runoff | 5/16/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/15/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General (30 Days) | 10/11/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General (8 Days) | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual Data | 1/17/2023 |
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.
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