The Blast - July 16, 2025

5 days until the first special session

IN TODAY’S BLAST

• Gov. Abbott’s impressive fundraising haul

• Takeaways from congressional fundraising disclosures

• Fairly keeps his powder dry

• Alligator Alcatraz … in Texas?

GOV. ABBOTT’S IMPRESSIVE FUNDRAISING HAUL

Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s most prolific fundraiser, once again showed his fundraising prowess this week, reporting an astonishing $20 million haul over the last week of June that might make some would-be Democratic challengers think twice about going against him in 2026.

The governor raked in the money during an eight-day window from June 23 — when the moratorium on political contributions surrounding the legislative session was lifted — through the end of the month. That works out to a whopping daily average intake of $2.5 million. On June 30 alone, he reported receiving $7.7 million — roughly 100 times what the median Texas household earns in a year.

That’s the most efficient fundraising Abbott has ever reported in mid-year filings following a legislative session, according to The Blast’s review of the governor’s filings from his decade in the governor’s mansion. The most comparable year was 2021, when Abbott reported raising $20.9 million — but the moratorium lifted a few days earlier that year, giving him 10 days to collect what amounted to an average daily haul of $2.1 million, a shade lower than this year’s rate.

The green harvest of 2025 arrived after a session filled with victories for the three-term governor, chief among them a new program to offer parents taxpayer-funded vouchers for private school tuition and other education expenses. 

Abbott is heading into campaign season with an $86 million war chest — an imposing number that could be enough to stave off some Democrats contemplating whether to challenge him in next year’s election.

“Support from thousands of donors across the state reflect the unwavering trust Texans have in Gov. Abbott’s strong leadership,” Abbott campaign manager Kim Snyder said in a statement. “The broad backing we’ve received proves that Texans are committed to keeping our state strong, secure, and prosperous.”

— Alejandro Serrano

The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one.

TAKEAWAYS FROM CONGRESSIONAL FUNDRAISING DISCLOSURES

As the race for U.S. Senate heats up, new fundraising numbers from the second quarter of the year give the first glimpse of how that heavyweight bout is shaping up. You can read more about the financial state of the race here.

But The Blast dove even deeper into the financial filings of the Texas congressional delegation and some of the candidates vying for Congress.

Rep. Michael McCaul had a sluggish quarter, raising a little less than $92,000 — $610,000 less than during the same period two years ago. But during the last cycle, McCaul, R-Austin, was serving as chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, a position that tends to grease the wheels for a member’s fundraising efforts.

Across the aisle, Rep. Jasmine Crockett brought in an eye-popping $2.1 million, putting her war chest at $3.7 million. The Dallas Democrat has been seen as a rising star within her party, known for her combative and viral moments featuring sharp quips aimed at her Republican colleagues. In the same span last cycle, she only brought in $139,000.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, is facing a primary challenge from the hardline state Rep. Steve Toth, but the four-term congressman is in a solid financial position with $624,000 in his coffers. He brought in about $451,000 this quarter and spent $330,000. Toth declared his candidacy after the second quarter ended, so no financial figures are available for his federal campaign.

Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen, whose district is being targeted by Republicans this cycle, raised $488,000 last quarter, giving him a campaign balance of $932,000.

Democrats, on the other hand, are targeting Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s district. The Edinburg Republican raised an impressive $867,000, arming her with a $1.3 million war chest to use against any challenger that threatens her South Texas seat.

In Texas’ safely Democratic 18th Congressional District, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee raised $586,000 in his bid to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, the largest haul of any candidate in the race. Former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards brought in $428,000, while state Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, collected about $101,000 after launching her campaign in early June.

— Owen Dahlkamp

FAIRLY KEEPS HIS POWDER DRY

Republican megadonor Alex Fairly is having a quiet 2025 so far. The Amarillo businessman was the 10th biggest donor in last year’s Texas legislative races, after which he launched a $20 million political action committee aimed at shifting the Legislature further to the right. He has not spent any of that new PAC money so far this year, according to campaign finance disclosures detailing spending and fundraising activity through the end of June.

Fairly launched the Texas Republican Leadership Fund in December during a bruising campaign to decide who would become the next speaker of the Texas House. Initially, his statements insinuated that he would use the money to primary Republican House members who did not support Rep. David Cook of Mansfield for the gavel. But days later, he clarified that the money would not be used to target members based on their votes in the speaker election, which ultimately went to Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock. 

Before seeding his PAC with $20 million, Fairly spent $2.2 million in 2024, largely on GOP House candidates. 

Fairly, who resigned from the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation board this week, declined to comment on his lack of spending activity so far this year.

Meanwhile, federal campaign filings show Fairly and his wife, Cheryl, both donated $7,000 to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign this spring, the maximum allowed under federal law. He also gave $100,000 to a local PAC in Amarillo, where he spent heavily in the Panhandle city’s mayoral race and multiple city council contests. 

— Kate McGee

SPONSOR CONTENT

In a partnership that bridges continents, the Houston Rockets have officially teamed up with Vera Clinic, one of Europe’s most recognized names in hair transplantation and regenerative medicine. Read more.

ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ … IN TEXAS?

Over the weekend, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed she was talking to five Republican-led states about building immigration detention centers similar to Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” — and it sounds like Texas could be one of them.

Spokespersons for Noem and Gov. Greg Abbott did not confirm that. But they did not deny it, either.

To recap, a few weeks ago, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — Texas’ Republican counterpart across the Gulf — unveiled “Alligator Alcatraz,” a 5,000-bed detention center for migrants in the middle of the Everglades, a marshland area filled with alligators and pythons. It has since opened and is quickly drawing a variety of concerns from immigrants’ rights advocates about inhumane conditions. 

Asked about Noem’s comments this week, Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris highlighted the governor’s efforts to help the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, but did not outright answer whether Texas is eyeing the creation of a similar facility. He noted that Abbott in January directed the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state’s prison system, and the Texas Facilities Commission, which manages state-owned grounds and buildings, “to identify land and facilities for the federal government to use as detention space.”

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin also did not deny or confirm Texas’ involvement, saying, “We won’t get ahead of the Secretary in confirming what plans are in the works, but as she said yesterday, we challenge politicians from both sides of the aisle to partner with DHS to make our communities safer.”

Remember: The state, via Abbott and Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, already offered the Trump administration a 1,400-acre ranch in South Texas to help its deportation efforts, and an administration official said they would take it. And Texas is home to many immigration detention facilities — including controversial ones where federal authorities hold families. 

As The Blast noted three weeks ago: Abbott and DeSantis have previously taken numerous actions that others saw as part of a competition to be the country’s state-level conservative figurehead — including busing and flying immigrants to Democrat-run cities.

— Alejandro Serrano

20 more must-see speakers join TribFest

The lineup for The Texas Tribune Festival continues to grow! Be there when all-star leaders, innovators and newsmakers take the stage in downtown Austin, Nov. 13–15.

The latest additions include comedian, actor and writer John Mulaney; Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; New York Media Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher; and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.

Join us as these standout speakers – and hundreds more – spark conversations on the issues shaping Texas and the nation. See the lineup so far.

Get tickets now and join us this November. Donate $50 or more to become a Texas Tribune member and get a ticket discount, access to members-only sessions, and more. Also, discounted tickets (just $65!) are available for educators and students.

Buy your tickets now and see the future of Texas at TribFest.

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

Next week and beyond:

• The House and Senate’s Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding will jointly hold their first hearing at the Texas Capitol on July 23, the third day of the special session. A second hearing is set to take place in Kerrville on July 31.

View the full list of upcoming committee notices here and here.

• Texans for a Conservative Majority, a super PAC backing Sen. John Cornyn’s reelection, recently made a $507,000 ad buy. The spot, which was shared with The Blast, aims to tie Cornyn to President Donald Trump, showing clips of the two men together likely in an effort to combat the perception — promoted by primary challenger Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general — that Cornyn is out of step with the party’s standard bearer. One clip shows the president praising Cornyn, but the original footage was shot in 2019 during Trump’s first term.

• Brad Bailey, chair of The Woodlands Township, is running for state House District 15, after current state Rep. Steve Toth announced he’d challenge U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District. Bailey is running as a “conservative leader” in the deep red district. He currently works as director of government affairs for trash and recycling company Waste Connections.

• The New York Times reported that the Justice Department is continuing to prosecute its bribery case against Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, amid speculation — and hope, for many Democrats eager to see the party defend that seat — that the DOJ could drop the case. President Donald Trump has publicly defended Cuellar in the past. Cuellar, a centrist, has continually won his district even as it has shifted toward the right.

The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one.

“Big money shaping GOP primaries for Texas attorney general, comptroller” by Eleanor Klibanoff and Alejandro Serrano of The Texas Tribune

“Appeals court orders release of Uvalde school shooting records” by Ayden Runnels of The Texas Tribune

“Texas Republicans are already celebrating 2026 endorsements. Which ones actually matter?” by Dan Solomon of Texas Monthly

“Houston officials used suite perk to get free access to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour, records show” by John Lomax V of the Houston Chronicle

A helpful resource for those wanting to follow Texas’ upcoming round of congressional redistricting:

Do you or someone in your office have a birthday you’d like mentioned? Email us.

(July 16) State Rep. Josey Garcia, D-San Antonio

SPONSOR MESSAGES 

The Beer Alliance of Texas - Texas Beer Distributors contribute $34 billion in total economic impact value for the Texas beer industry.

Episcopal Health Foundation - See why one of the largest health foundations in Texas is doubling down on its bet to improve health for those most in need. Here’s a hint: it’s not only about seeing a doctor.

UT Press - Iranians in Texas: Migration, Politics, and Ethnic Identity by Mohsen Mostafavi Mobasher, revised edition. 40% off with code UTXSPRING!

Disclosure: Texas Monthly and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.