Contributors who listed an address outside Texas supplied 20.8 percent of the $886.0 million given to Texas state-level candidates and committees in the 2025-26 cycle, up from 19.8 percent in August, according to new figures from whoboughttexas.com. The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) publishes the index, which counts filings the Texas Ethics Commission received through October 7, including the 30-day pre-general reports.
The share is climbing as the election nears. Of the $174.8 million reported since the August data, about 22 percent came from outside Texas.
A few large givers, on both sides
Five out-of-state sources account for $43.2 million, about 23 percent of all the out-of-state money in the cycle. Miriam Adelson of Nevada gave $10.1 million, $9.1 million of it to Texas Sands PAC and $1.0 million to Texans for Greg Abbott. Jeff Yass of Pennsylvania gave $9.26 million, including $4.0 million to the AFC Victory Fund, $3.0 million to Texas Conservative Majority PAC, and $1.0 million each to Texans for Greg Abbott and Texans for Dan Patrick. Las Vegas Sands Corporation gave $9.1 million to Texas Defense PAC. Two Washington, D.C. committees, Ab PAC and Democracy PAC II, gave $7.7 million and $7.0 million.
Pennsylvania money nearly doubled in two months, from $6.5 million in the August data to $12.0 million. Money from Washington, D.C. rose from $8.6 million to $17.3 million.
The 1836 Fund
One new committee carries the year of Texas independence in its name and files from a Washington, D.C. address. All $7.0 million the 1836 Fund received came from Democracy PAC II. It passed $6.5 million to Texas Majority PAC and $0.3 million to the Texas Democratic Party. Texas Majority PAC is now 93.6 percent funded from outside Texas, with Ab PAC’s $7.7 million and $1.0 million from George Soros among its other large sources.
The same layering runs on the Republican side. Texas Conservative Majority PAC, which took Yass’s $3.0 million, is now 61.4 percent funded from outside Texas, up from 43.3 percent in August. The Republican State Leadership Committee has put $3.4 million from Washington, D.C. into its Judicial Fairness Initiative.
Every statewide race
In each statewide race where the index matches both major-party nominees, the Democrat has the higher outside share. In every one of them except Railroad Commissioner, the Republican has raised more outside dollars.
For governor, Greg Abbott (R) has raised $11.25 million of $91.6 million from outside Texas, 12.3 percent, and Gina Hinojosa (D) $6.00 million of $21.7 million, 27.6 percent. For lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick (R) has $2.07 million of $21.0 million, 9.8 percent, and Vikki Goodwin (D) $0.27 million of $2.3 million, 11.7 percent. For attorney general, Mayes Middleton (R) has $0.33 million of $25.2 million, 1.3 percent, and Nathan Johnson (D) $0.28 million of $2.8 million, 10.1 percent.
For comptroller, Don Huffines (R) has $1.23 million of $15.0 million, 8.2 percent, and Sarah Eckhardt (D) $0.13 million of $1.0 million, 13.1 percent. For agriculture commissioner, Nate Sheets (R) has $0.13 million of $3.3 million, 4.0 percent, and Clayton Tucker (D) $0.08 million of $0.69 million, 11.6 percent. For railroad commissioner, Bo French (R) has $0.08 million of $3.1 million, 2.4 percent, and Jon Rosenthal (D) $0.18 million of $0.72 million, 25.7 percent.
Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham (R) shows 5.1 percent of $3.3 million. The index has no confident match for the Democratic nominee in that race, Benjamin Flores, or for the Libertarian nominees.
New corporate committees
Two Texas committees that are new since August are funded entirely from out of state: Anthropic PBC’s Texas political action committee, with $500,000 from one California contributor, and KalshiEX LLC Texas PAC, the committee of a prediction-market company, with $200,000 from two Arizona contributors. Meta Platforms gave $1.37 million earlier in the cycle to Forge the Future Project with Meta.
The index counts contributors who listed an address outside Texas on public filings, plus out-of-state committees, and traces money given through Texas committees to those committees’ own donors. A reported address is not verified residency. Out-of-state giving is lawful and common, and it says nothing about any person’s votes, integrity or conduct. The figures will change on October 27, when the index adds the 8-day pre-general reports.
TNM has called for well over a decade for a ban on out-of-state contributions to Texas campaigns. “This isn’t a campaign finance issue. It’s a sovereignty issue,” said Daniel Miller, President of the Texas Nationalist Movement. “We wouldn’t let people who live in other states vote in a Texas election, so it’s fair to ask why we let them give 21 cents of every dollar raised to win one.”
Texans choose their own officeholders. This cycle, 21 cents of every dollar raised to win those offices came from somewhere else.
Comments have moved. The real debate about Texas independence now happens with thousands of Texians in the app.
Get the TEXIAN app
