Perry gets Texas donors to give to Republican Governors Association
April 17, 2008
Of the $7.1 million the group raised since January, one fourth of it came from Texas. In the quarter before Mr. Perry became chairman, Texas interests accounted for only 8 percent.
Written by wayne Slater, The Dallas Morning News
Gov. Rick Perry
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry has tapped big-money Texas donors, some with interests before the state, for contributions to the Republican Governors Association since he became chairman.
Of the $7.1 million the group raised since January, one fourth of it came from Texas. In the quarter before Mr. Perry became chairman, Texas interests accounted for only 8 percent.
The Texas governor plays host Thursday to a group of GOP governors and energy executives in Grapevine for a private roundtable on energy.
Robert Black, a Perry spokesman, said it’s not surprising that some of the governor’s biggest financial benefactors are supporting the Republican Governors Association.
“Texans want to see Gov. Perry’s type of conservative leadership spread throughout the nation. And that starts with electing Republican governors,” said Mr. Black.
The governor’s largest political contributor, Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, gave the GOP group $250,000 in the latest period. The homebuilder and the Texas governor are not related.
Another long-time Perry political backer, East Texas poultry executive Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim, whose chicken-processing operations fall under state environmental regulations, gave the group $100,000.
Others giving large sums include $50,000 from Williams Brothers Construction and $25,000 from Dannenbaum Engineering, both highway contractors with contracts to help build the $145 billion toll-road system pushed by Mr. Perry.
Houston auto dealer Thomas Friedkin, a Perry appointee to the Parks and Wildlife Commission, contributed $150,000 through Friedkin Business Services.
Mr. Black said financial contributions do not influence the governor’s decisions.
“Donors can expect good conservative governance from Rick Perry,” he said. “If they expect anything else they shouldn’t give money.”
In 2006, Bob Perry sent $1 million to the Republican group, which delivered $1 million for the Texas governor’s reelection.
The $1 million was not reported publicly until after the election. A Perry aide called the failure “a clerical error.”
The Houston homebuilder supports initiatives advanced by the Republican governor to limit lawsuits against business, including the construction industry.
Some of the Texas donors in the latest report are new while others are past contributors who have boosted their giving since Mr. Perry became the chairman of the GOP group.
Gorton T. Graves, a retired slot-machine maker who has sought expanded video gambling at state racetracks, gave $125,000, according to the latest filing.
The Developtech Resources Corp. gave $50,000. David Nance is a principal of Developtech and president of Introgen Therapeutics, an Austin-based pharmaceutical developer whose technology was developed at state taxpayer expense.
The pharmaceutical maker Merck, whose lobbyist in Austin is the governor’s former chief of staff, contributed $50,000.
In 2006, Merck contributed to Mr. Perry’s reelection and stood to benefit when the governor signed an executive order requiring that preteens be vaccinated against a virus that causes cervical cancer. The Legislature blocked the effort.
GTech, the lottery operator in Texas, contributed $50,000; Houston beer distributor John Nau, a Perry appointee to the Texas Historical Commissioner, $10,000; and San Antonio-based telephone giant AT&T, $75,000.
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