Presidential Race 2016: The Battle for Texas Bucks

Are Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and others all competing for the support of Texas’ biggest political spenders?

By Laura RiceApril 7, 2015 8:59 am

Republican Senator Rand Paul has announced he’s in the running for the White House and the battle for Texas bucks is officially underway.

Paul Jorgensen teaches political science at the University of Texas – Pan American. He studies the intersection of politics and money.

On the Dynamics of Fundraising this Election:

“Someone like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Rick Perry while they’ll lean on Texas. Texas is also a big player nationally and so they’re going to not only look at Texas but they’re looking at California, Chicago area and New York along with Dallas and Houston – they’re some of the largest funding sources in the country and probably make up about half of all presidential funding.”

On Which Candidates are Best Set for the Race Ahead:

“Jeb Bush already has the infrastructure set up. He has a non-profit, he has a leadership committee and he has a Super PAC that are going to give to each other and so the dark money circle for Bush has already started. Same with Scott Walker who has also made a lot of inroads in Texas from anti-union donors and heavy construction as well.”

On How Critical Texas Money Will be in 2016:

“I think it’s pretty critical. We had some very wealthy individuals who donate to the Republican Party pass away over the course of the last couple of years. But there’s still a lot of money from oil and gas and heavy construction.”