Texas' top donors to Georgia U.S. Senate candidates
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
With national eyes on Tuesday's U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia, we took a look at the Austinites who have given big this election cycle to the campaigns of Republican nominee Herschel Walker and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Why it matters: Yes, Democrats will control the Senate regardless of who wins, but holding the extra seat would cut the power of individual senators — like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — and help Democrats control the flow of committee business.
- Plus: Adding a Senate seat in the Dec. 6 Georgia runoff would give Democrats more investigative resources and — crucially — nearly unilateral power to issue subpoenas without Republican buy-in.
- A win by Walker would boost the prospects of former President Donald Trump, who saw his political clout diminished by key candidates' losses in the November midterms.
Between the lines: The donations, which we pulled from Federal Election Commission campaign finance data, are a window into the upper echelons of Central Texas political donors.
Top givers locally to Warnock for Georgia include:
- Matt Winkler, founder of biotech firm Asuragen, who has contributed $5,000.
- Luci Johnson, investor and the daughter of the late president, has contributed $8,700.
- Marc Winkelman, philanthropist and head of Calendar Holdings, gave $5,800.
- Joe Gebbia, a founder of Airbnb; Jerome Kearns, head of Four Hands Maid Service; and Chris Hyams, CEO of Indeed, have each donated $2,900.
Local givers to Walker include:
- Realtor and Dripping Springs school district board member Olivia Barnard, who gave $5,800.
- Billionaire tech investor Joe Lonsdale, who has contributed $5,000.
- Car dealer Bryan Hardeman has given $11,200.
What they're saying: Walker "speaks for conservatives who have been viciously lied about in mainstream media," Barnard tells Axios.
- "I support candidates who believe in limited government, free speech, the second amendment and who are pro-life … Most importantly, I am for common sense governance and America First policies that benefit us all."
The other side: "People like Herschel Walker who support a guy like Donald Trump are dangerous people — dangerous for the future of the republic," Winkelman tells Axios. "He has no business being involved in governing people."
Zoom out: Statewide, major Walker supporters include Bettina Langlais, who organized a mask-burning protest in Dallas in opposition to COVID restrictions; Annette Simmons, a philanthropist and widow of radioactive waste disposal baron Harold Simmons; Plano construction company CEO Ben Pogue; restaurateur Bobby Cox; real estate broker David Mafrige; and Tom Hicks, the businessman and former owner of the Texas Rangers; and construction magnate Harlan Crow.
- Warnock contributors include North Texas attorney Roger Sanders, Fort Worth investor Geoffrey Raynor, Dallas auto executive Christopher Reynolds and Dorchester Minerals CEO William McManemin.
By the numbers: Warnock's campaign reported raising $150.5 million through Nov. 16, three times the $58.3 million Walker's campaign reported raising through the same period, per Open Secrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.
Bottom line: The Texas donations confirm how fiercely national local politics have become.