Far-right billionaires throw money at Republican primary to weed out enemies of AG Paxton

Rebounding from a scandal tying the political group they supported to an avowed Nazi sympathizer, two far-right West Texas oil billionaires have pumped millions of dollars into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s crusade against state House Republicans who voted to impeach him, the latest campaign finance filings show.

Since the political action committee was quietly created in December, Texans United for a Conservative Majority has spent more than $3 million to support previously little-known Paxton loyalists competing in Republican primaries and special elections across the state.

Behind the effort are Tim Dunn, the CEO of oil company CrownQuest and a figure of growing importance to the Christian nationalist movement, and Farris Wilks, a Cisco pastor whose family has made billions on fracking. Both have driven efforts to push Texas politics further to the right and away from the “establishment,” pouring millions of dollars into the 2022 Republican primaries as well.

Paxton impeachment defense attorney Mitch Little has been the top recipient of the group’s generosity, with donations from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 totaling almost $300,000, per the Statesman’s analysis of Texas Ethics Commission reports. Candidates Kyle Biedermann, Andy Hopper, Brent Money, Wes Virdell and David Covey, the Republican challenger of House Speaker Dade Phelan, also have received more than $150,000 each in direct campaign contributions from the PAC this year.

Dunn contributed roughly $2.4 million to Texans United for a Conservative Majority this year, including $700,000 just after the Feb. 24 filing period last Monday, per Texas Ethics Commission reports. The donations follow a $1.3 million contribution from Wilks in January.

The donations give teeth to the top attorney’s efforts to weed out every one of the 60 House Republicans who sent him to a Senate trial over allegations of corruption and bribery in May, an impeachment he survived after the Senate acquitted him. The PAC also supports Paxton’s battles on other fronts, including by giving $50,000 to a PAC to oust several Court of Criminal Appeals judges who angered the AG.

The group continues the work of Defend Texas Liberty, a PAC also funded by Dunn and Wilks that spent heavily to support Paxton throughout the impeachment process. The group went dark after The Texas Tribune reported that its president met for several hours with infamous Holocaust denier, white supremacist and avowed Nazi enthusiast Nick Fuentes in October, leading several House Republicans to disavow the PAC. Dunn did not respond to the Statesman's request for comment Friday.

Paxton's billionaire-backed crusade has been surpassed in fervor and cost only by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's scorched-earth school voucher endorsement revenge tour, which has driven more than $6 million in donations and taken him to dozens of towns across the state in recent weeks. Some of the incumbents under fire from Paxton are simultaneously facing threats from Abbott.

While incumbents have still outraised most of their challengers, the newly released spending and contribution data showcase the impact a very small group of megawealthy donors and interest groups can have on state races.

Here's more on some of the candidates in key races who accepted money from the new PAC.

House District 19: PAC supports Troxclair challenger

Texans United for a Conservative Majority has contributed $150,000 to the campaign of former state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, who is challenging former Austin City Council Member and freshman state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway. Biedermann was heavily criticized after leaked video remarks last month in which he slammed the House for expelling Rep. Bryan Slaton last year after an investigating committee determined he gave alcohol to a 19-year-old intern and had sex with her.

Thirteen House Republican women signed on to a letter supporting Troxclair in the election after the video, which was posted Feb. 8 and shows Biedermann questioning, "Was he convicted? What was his crime?" and making a distinction that the sexual encounter took place at a private residence and not the Capitol.

Troxclair had raised at least $1 million more than Biedermann by Feb. 24, with significant help from Abbott. The governor has given more than $280,000 to the Austin-area candidate for her support of school vouchers, which would allow the state to use public money to fund part or all of a student's private school education.

Neither Troxclair nor Biedermann responded to the Statesman's request for comment.

More: What's on the primary election ballot in Central Texas? A look at the races and candidates

HD 21: PAC props up challenger to Paxton nemesis Phelan

Phelan, R-Beaumont, has been a major target for Paxton and his allies since he led the House in its effort to impeach the state's top cop. Both former President Donald Trump and Paxton have publicly endorsed Phelan's challenger, David Covey.

Phelan also has a history with Dunn's and Wilks' funding efforts. After the ties between Defend Texas Liberty and neo-Nazi Fuentes were revealed, the speaker and Texas Democrats called on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to return a $3 million contribution he had received from Defend Texas Liberty before presiding over Paxton’s impeachment in the Senate.

Texans United for a Conservative Majority has been the main backer of Covey, giving more than $400,000 to the oil and gas industry consultant's campaign, per TransparencyUSA. The roughly $800,000 Covey has raised in total, however, pales in comparison to the more than $6 million in campaign contributions Phelan has received.

Neither Phelan nor Covey responded to the Statesman's request for comment.

HD 65: Paxton defense attorney top recipient of PAC funds

Little, Paxton's impeachment defense attorney, is challenging Dallas-area freshman Rep. Kronda Thimesch, R-Lewisville, who voted to impeach Paxton in May. The attorney was Thimesch's campaign treasurer until joining Paxton's legal team in the lead-up to the trial.

In the race against his former boss, Little has collected $295,000 from Texans United for a Conservative Majority alone and about $600,000 total, the Statesman found.

But he is still far behind Thimesch, who had raised at least $900,000 by Feb. 24, according to TransparencyUSA. Her two top donors were the Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, which gave $230,000 in total, and Abbott, who donated more than $110,000, probably in recognition of her pro-voucher stance.

In response to the Statesman's request for comment on the finance data, Thimesch slammed Little for accepting money from the PAC and highlighted her conservative record.

"Mitch is an opportunist who opposes Gov. Abbott’s border security efforts and gladly accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars from fake conservatives who viciously attack Republicans, including Governor Abbott and me," Thimesch wrote in a statement to the Statesman. "Voters are right to distrust Mitch and every other candidate who is bought and paid for by groups that associate with avowed neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers."

Little did not respond to the Statesman's request for comment.

Have tips, questions or comments? Email Bayliss at bwagner@statesman.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Far-right PAC puts millions behind effort to weed out Paxton enemies