Houston Megadonors Spent $350 Million on Politics in 25 Years

29 September 2025

For a quarter century, Houston’s wealthiest power players have funneled hundreds of millions into shaping politics in Texas and beyond. Who are they?

The top 25 Houston-area donors shelled out roughly $350 million to politicians and committees between 2001 and April 2025, according to an analysis of campaign finance data by the Houston Chronicle.

No one came close to matching late homebuilder Bob Perry’s giving. A longtime bankroller of conservative causes, Perry poured more than $63 million into campaigns and PACs before his 2013 death — nearly $30 million more than the next highest donor, John Nau, the former Silver Eagle Distributors CEO.

Behind them were a mix of familiar names such as billionaire Tilman Fertitta with $7.9 million in donations. Currently the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, the CEO of Fertitta Entertainment owns the Houston Rockets, Landry’s restaurants and the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casinos.

Other real estate executives on the list include Alan Hassenflu of Fidelity Realty Partners and construction magnate Doug Pitcock.

Hassenflu, who is associated with Texans for Lawsuit Reform, donated nearly $5.5 million. Pitcock’s $12.85 million in donations went primarily to state candidates but also Republican PACs.

Dick Weekley dropped more than $29 million on various causes. He founded Weekley Homes with his brother David in the 1970s, and donated heavily to causes such as Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the single biggest winner of Houston megadonor largesse.

That Houston-founded anti-tort-reform advocacy group has rewritten Texas’ civil justice code and collected more than $37 million from the donor group, nearly 40 percent of all local political giving to state committees.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns have received $24 million from Houston donors, while federal GOP committees such as American Crossroads and Restore Our Future pulled in $19 million and $13 million, respectively. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick netted about $7 million from the city’s donor class.

Giving strategies varied. Some, like energy trader John Addison, focused on federal PACs, while others — including Hassenflu — zeroed in on state-level committees. Fertitta, Pitcock and businessman Stuart Stedman spread their checks across governors’ races. Collectively, Houston-area donors steered $95 million to more than 200 state committees, and $154 million to nearly 500 federal committees.

The analysis also highlighted partisan divides. Donors to Democrat’s causes, such as trial lawyers Amber and the late Steve Mostyn, clustered together, while the majority of Houston’s megadonors lined up with Republican committees. Fertitta and former hedge fund manager John Arnold straddled the two camps, cutting checks to groups backed by both parties.

— Eric Weilbacher