Connect with us

Texas

TikTok billionaire, voucher supporter gave Gov. Abbott $4M ahead of Texas House runoffs

Published

on

TikTok billionaire, voucher supporter gave Gov. Abbott M ahead of Texas House runoffs


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott received an additional $4 million campaign donation from a prominent school voucher proponent just after the March primary elections, boosting his successful effort to toss out GOP House members who opposed his school choice plans, according to new state ethics reports filed on Monday.

The April 3 donation by TikTok investor Jeff Yass brings the Pennsylvania billionaire megadonor’s contributions to Abbott to more than $10 million since last fall. Yass previously donated $6 million in December, which Abbott described as the largest single donation in Texas campaign history.

Yass has donated more than $200 million in the last decade to federal and state candidates and to groups to promote school choice.

The mandatory campaign finance reports filed Monday by the Republican governor as well as by his campaign at the Texas Ethics Commission offer the first comprehensive look into Abbott’s money machine during two heated election cycles earlier this year.

Advertisement

Political Points

Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond.

Abbott and his campaign’s political action committee, Texans for Greg Abbott, were only required to file them in January and July because he wasn’t on the ballot.

An email requesting comment from Abbott’s campaign was not immediately answered early Tuesday. Staff at his Capitol office referred questions to the campaign.

Was Gov. Abbott successful in punishing GOP lawmakers who tanked ‘school choice’ plan?

Public education advocates have criticized Yass’ heavy-handed funding of Abbott’s campaign, saying that as an out-of-state activist he has too much influence.

Advertisement

Earlier this year, Yass, through a spokesman, provided a brief statement to The Dallas Morning News on his supporting school choice: “School spending has doubled in real terms over the last 30 years and results have gotten worse, particularly in urban districts. The time for choice and competition is now. I plan to support pro-school choice candidates in any state.”

The Monday reports show Abbott’s officeholder account, which received the Yass donations, spent nearly $12 million during the first six months of the year. Most of that was on travel, events and advertising. More than a quarter of that was spent on advertising, polling and consulting in April and May alone, according to Abbott’s 190-page officeholder report.

Throughout the primary and runoff season,10 mostly rural incumbent House Republicans were fighting off attacks from Abbott and his pro-voucher allies after the lawmakers repeatedly blocked legislation that would have created education savings accounts, or ESAs.

Proponents — including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — argue that public schools in some areas of the state are failing, so parents need help paying for alternatives. The ESAs would allow for taxpayer money to be spent on private schools.

Opponents argue that private schools are unregulated and sometimes exclude students with special needs. They want public schools to be fully funded.

Advertisement

Many rural Republicans argue that ESAs would drain the funding from their schools — the largest employer in many rural counties — and hurt their communities, particularly because many of those areas don’t have private schools.

School choice divides Texas conservatives ahead of primary elections

Before the March primary, Abbott and his campaign gave more than $6 million to House candidates, many of whom were challenging those incumbents. Then he donated another $2.3 million during the next two months for the May runoffs to defeat those who survived in March, according to earlier campaign reports.

Abbott’s well-funded victories in those contests appear to have given him the votes he needs to pass school choice during the next regular session, which starts in January 2025. His candidates must survive the general election in November.

The legislative effort to create the state’s first voucherlike program appears to be already underway.

On Tuesday, Texas House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, scheduled a hearing on a range of issues, including the viability of ESAs, for Aug. 12 – the same week many major Texas districts start the new school year.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the Abbott campaign PAC maintains a healthy war chest of more than $51 million as of June 30, according to the reports. The PAC received nearly $25 million in donations since January.

The political action committee’s 29,292-page report is brimming with donations of $1 and $2, although individual contributions of $110 or less that are not received electronically are not required to be itemized. Online donations must be listed individually even if they are under $1.

Aarón Torres contributed to this report.



Source link

Advertisement

Texas

Texas falls short in Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin, 3-1

Published

on

Texas falls short in Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin, 3-1


Another deep run in the NCAA Tournament is over for the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns (26-4) after falling to the No. 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers (28-4) in the Elite Eight on Sunday at Gregory Gymnasium in a 3-1 defeat.

Texas was consistently out of system for the entire match and struggled to consistently match Wisconsin in any area of the game even though the Horns held a statistical edge in several categories. The biggest issue was the subpar performance from junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford, who hit .132 with nine kills and four attacking errors — the Longhorns needed more from their star, outshone on her home court by Badgers standout Mimi Colyer notching a match-high 23 kills on a .309 hitting percentage.

The young Texas team struggled to find answers across the board as head coach Jerritt Elliott tried to find sparks from his bench, a failed effort.

In the first set, both teams came out swinging and stayed neck to neck attacking the net at 5-5. True freshman outside hitter Abby Vander Wal aided the Longhorns with four kills during the set, alongside fellow true freshman outside hitter Cari Spears landing three kills in the first set. Texas was able to gain a small lead as Wisconsin continued to capitalize on attacks and force errors to gain a 23-17 lead. Longhorn middle blocker Nya Bunton snagged a two kills for Texas as the match closed out with Wisconsin taking the opening set, 25-22, despite the Longhorns saving five set points.

Advertisement

In the second set, Wisconsin jumped out to an early 4-2 lead with Colyer snagging early kills. The Longhorns cut the lead to 11-10 by forcing attacking errors, but the Badgers stayed steady, maintaining their lead with outside hitter Grace Egan swinging strong at the net to extending the lead to 18-13. The Longhorns stayed in the match with the leadership of senior outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein tagging four late kills, but the Badges closed the second set, 25-21, having never trailed in it.

All gas in the intense third set with both teams pumping attack after attack with the Longhorns taking a 8-7 lead. While both teams stayed on each others heel’s by countering each other’s attacks until Longhorn setter Rella Binney served back-to-back aces to put Texas up 15-12. The Longhorns stood strong at the net, forcing Badger errors to close the third set, 25-20, to prolong the match, albeit only briefly.

In the fourth set, the Longhorns use the momentum from the third set and go on a 4-0 run with kills from Vander Wal and Spears. The Badgers did not lay down as they were able to for errors and counter attack with the aid of outside hitter Una Vajagic to go on a 12-4 run, putting Wisconsin up, 12-8. The Longhorns managed a 4-0 run while libero Ramsey Gary landed an ace bring the match to 18-15, but the Badgers eventually closed the fourth and final set by forcing seven Longhorn errors to end the match, 25-19.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Texas

Frigid air moves across North Texas Sunday ahead of mid-week warmup

Published

on

Frigid air moves across North Texas Sunday ahead of mid-week warmup



Yes, it was just two days ago that DFW enjoyed temperatures in the 70s. However, cold winds arrived overnight to push that December warmth away, and frigid arctic air took its place.

Advertisement

Coats, gloves and hats are needed if you head out to support your family or friends in the BMW Dallas Marathon on Sunday morning. Temperatures will start right around freezing with wind gusts around 25 mph.

Bitter cold wind chills are expected throughout the day.

It seems every other year that North Texas gets a winter start to the Dallas marathon. The race starts with mostly cloudy skies, but the skies will clear by Sunday afternoon.

thumbnail-image002-6.png

Highs will top out in the low 40s – one of the colder days DFW has had so far this season.

Advertisement

Lows Sunday night dip down into the 20s for the first time at DFW since last February.

The cold air is not sticking around. North Texas will quickly warm up.

After the coldest morning so far this season on Monday, it will be back in the 70s by mid-week. It will also be near record highs by next weekend.

Long-range models show the warm air is lasting until Christmas. 

thumbnail-image004-2.png

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Texas

Why Texas A&M’s former Heisman winner was a generational dual-threat

Published

on

Why Texas A&M’s former Heisman winner was a generational dual-threat


On Saturday night, the 91st Heisman winner will be announced, as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love are the four finalists who will contend for the most prestigious award college football has to offer.

All four players led their teams to double-digit wins. At the same time, Mendoza and Sayin are headed to the College Football Playoff after Indiana’s Big Ten Championship win over the Buckeyes vaulted the Hoosiers to the No. 1-seed, receiving a first-round bye in the CFP.

For Texas A&M fans, former star quarterback Johnny Manziel, who won the program’s second Heisman Trophy after his historic 2012 redshirt freshman season, was back in the news after Bleacher Report revealed back-to-back rushing comparisons to Jeremiyah Love’s prolific 2025 rushing production, which led to him becoming a Heisman finalist.

Manziel threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for an incredible 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns on 201 carries, averaging seven yards per carry. Love, whose entire job is running and catching the ball, ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

Advertisement

This takes nothing away from Jeremiyah Love’s incredible season, but is just another reason Johnny Manziel’s 2012 season is still regarded as the most outstanding Heisman-winning campaign, outside of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s 2010 Heisman season.

After throwing for 2,932 yards and 25 touchdowns, Texas A&M star QB Marcel Reed did not make the Heisman finalist cut.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending