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A Texas Panhandle businessman pledged $20 million to ascertain a brand new political group that goals to push the state Republican Social gathering additional to the suitable.
Alex Pretty is the one donor to the brand new Texas Republican Management Fund, the group introduced Tuesday. Its formation comes amid a management struggle within the Texas Home, a proxy for the intra-party struggle that has dominated Texas GOP politics for a number of years.
Pretty is an rising conservative megadonor from Amarillo who has beforehand given tens of thousands and thousands to West Texas A&M College to create an institute that promotes “Panhandle values.” He’s additionally made sizable donations to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Lawyer Basic Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Pretty can be the daddy to Caroline Pretty, who will sit within the Home chamber this January.
The preliminary donation is a staggering quantity even for Texas, which has no political spending limits for non-judicial candidates. For comparability, Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this 12 months recorded a $6 million donation from a nationwide Republican donor, calling it the biggest single donation to a candidate in state historical past.
With out naming state Rep. David Cook dinner, Pretty steered his group will again him for Home speaker. Cook dinner, of Mansfield, secured the nomination of the Home GOP Caucus earlier this month. However Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock has mentioned he had sufficient supporters amongst each Republicans and Democrats to win the speakership when the complete chamber votes in January.
“Every Republican House member should be strongly opposed to a minority band of Republicans teaming up with Democrats to cut a joint governing agreement,” Pretty wrote in a press release, nodding to Burrows.
Pretty additionally mentioned his new political group will construct on the wins conservatives made within the 2024 election cycle to “expand a true Republican majority.”
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Final 12 months, Pretty donated greater than $220,000 to Defend Texas Liberty, making him one of many greatest donors of the highly effective political motion committee after West Texas billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. Defend Texas Liberty principally stopped its work after The Texas Tribune revealed its ties to distinguished Adolf Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes and different recognized white supremacists.
Pretty had beforehand been concerned in native Amarillo politics however has been ramping up his giving on a state stage at a time when Dunn redirected his deal with nationwide politics.
Disclosure: Texas A&M College and West Texas A&M College have been monetary supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partially by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full record of them right here.
