Empower Texans

Empower Texans is a nonprofit advocacy group that promotes free market principles in Texas. It is affiliated with Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and the Empower Texans Foundation. Empower Texans is based in Austin with operations in Dallas, Houston, and Midland.[1] Empower Texans focuses on fiscal conservatism by supporting lower taxes and spending restraint.[2] It operates in Republican state-level politics in Texas, targeting candidates whom the group views as insufficiently conservative in Republican primaries.

Empower Texans
Formation2006
Type501(c)(4) nonprofit
PurposeTo promote free-market principles in Texas
HeadquartersAustin, Texas
AffiliationsTexans for Fiscal Responsibility, Empower Texans Foundation
Websitewww.empowertexans.com

History

Empower Texans was formed in 2006 by Tim Dunn.[3] Dunn is the group's primary financial contributor.[2] Dan and Farris Wilks are also major donors to Empower Texans.[4] The group has been described as Tea Party-aligned.[5]

In 2014, Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan was fined by the Texas Ethics Commission after the agency alleged that he had failed to register as a lobbyist starting in 2010. Sullivan said his activities were best described as journalism rather than lobbying.[3] He appealed the fine; as of 2020, a series of delays had prevented the case from going to trial.[6][7][8]

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR), which is a project of Empower Texans, is a conservative political advocacy group based in Austin, Texas.[9] Founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan, the stated mission of TFR is to "create and sustain a system of strong fiscal stewardship within all levels of Texas government, ensuring the greatest amounts of economic and personal liberty, and promoting public policies that provide individuals with the freedom to use their strengths and talents in pursuit of greater opportunities."[10] TFR is a nonprofit organization and files as a 501c(4).[11]

TFR advocates for limited government via reduced taxation and greater public accountability.[2] The group has been described as trying to "purge the GOP establishment."[12] Texas Monthly called TFR "one of the most influential advocacy groups in Austin".[13]

Through TFR, Empower Texans publishes an annual Fiscal Responsibility Index, which is a scorecard the group uses to grade legislators according to how well they protect the interests of taxpayers; and a Taxpayer Pledge, which is signed by lawmakers who promise not to raise taxes.[14][15][16] The group hands out "Taxpayer Champion Awards" to legislators who score well on TFR's Fiscal Responsibility Index.[17]

In 2012 and 2013, Texas Monthly and The Texas Observer wrote that Michael Quinn Sullivan had exaggerated budget increases and other statistics to make it appear that more moderate Republicans were not sufficiently conservative.[14][18]

Texas Scorecard

In January 2015, Empower Texans launched a print and online publication project called Texas Scorecard.

In 2019, two employees of Texas Scorecard were granted media credentials to the Texas Senate but denied media credentials to the Texas House.[3]

Texas Scorecard was spun off into its own nonprofit entity in 2020. Former Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan became the publisher of the publication.[19]

Activities

2016

The group, which opposed Republican Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Joe Straus, made $1.4 million in donations and in-kind contributions to anti-Straus candidates in the 2016 primary election.[20]

2018

In the 2018 Texas Republican primary elections, which were held on March 6, 2018, Empower Texans endorsed 34 candidates. A total of 13 endorsed candidates won, while 17 lost and four advanced to runoff primary elections in May 2018. Two of the group's notable victories were the defeat of state representatives Jason Villalba and Wayne Faircloth.[21] It donated a total of $4.7 million to candidates during the 2018 election cycle.[3]

2020

In the 2020 election cycle, Empower Texans made endorsements in six state House races. As of June 2020, its political action committees had not yet reported any spending on the election cycle.[22]

In June 2020, Empower Texans vice president Cary Cheshire and its general counsel Tony McDonald were recorded making derogatory comments about Texas Governor Greg Abbott, including joking about his use of a wheelchair. Cheshire and McDonald were disciplined by the organization over the incident.[23][22]

House Speaker scandal

In June 2019, Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen was secretly recorded by Empower Texans president Michael Quinn Sullivan offering Sullivan a deal in which Empower Texans would be granted press credentials that would allow them on the floor of the Texas House while it would be in session for the 2021 legislative session. In exchange, Bonnen wanted Empower Texans to target certain Republican representatives in the next primary election for defeat while not criticizing certain other Republicans. The incident was described by Texas Monthly as "the most significant political scandal in Texas politics in many years".[24][25] After Sullivan released a tape of the meeting, Bonnen announced he would not seek re-election.[26]

Sullivan later publicly released the full audio recording of the exchange in October. In the audio recording, Bonnen is heard offering Empower Texans House floor media access in the 2021 legislative session in exchange for the organization using its political action committee to target the primary campaigns of a specific list of 10 Republican House members whom Bonnen describes as "moderate".[27] The scandal led to the resignation of State Rep. Dustin Burrows as chair of the Texas House Republican Caucus, following his implication in the meeting. Following mounting pressure from Republican House members for him to resign, Bonnen announced on October 22 that he would not seek re-election in 2020 as a result of the scandal, saying in a statement that "it is clear that I can no longer seek re-election as State Representative of District 25, and subsequently, as Speaker of the House" and that "it is in the best interest of both myself and the House to move on".[28] The scandal led to an investigation by the Texas Rangers, which ultimately concluded that Bonnen did not break any laws in the exchange.[29]

References
  1. Schleifer, Theodore (September 15, 2014). "Updated: Empower Texans looks to make a Houston home". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  2. Batheja, Aman (May 10, 2014). "A Big Spender Aims to Push State Politics Further Right". New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. Platoff, Emma (29 January 2019). "In the Texas House, they're seen as lobbyists. In the Senate, they sit at the press table". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  4. Weinberg, Tessa (February 7, 2020). "After scandal, will Empower Texans donors hurt or help in this Tarrant County race?". Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. Goldenstein, Taylor (1 August 2019). "What is Empower Texans? A look at the group that's roiling the Texas House". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  6. Platoff, Emma (3 August 2018). "Appeals court revives Empower Texans lawsuit seeking to gut the Texas Ethics Commission". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  7. Goldenstein, Taylor (3 August 2020). "Court case could reveal unprecedented insight into dark money group Empower Texans". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  8. Lindell, Chuck (June 14, 2019). "Supreme Court allows Michael Quinn Sullivan case to continue". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  9. Reynolds, John (March 28, 2014). "Suit Over Spoof PAC Ends With Apology". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  10. "About Us". Empower Texans. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  11. Flahive, Paul (March 31, 2014). "The Source: Tracking The "Unlobbyists"". Texas Public Radio. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  12. "Texan of the Year finalist: Michael Quinn Sullivan". Dallas Morning News. December 23, 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  13. Blakeslee, Nate (January 2013). "Primary Targets". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  14. Blakeslee, Nate (1 January 2013). "Primary Targets". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  15. Garrett, Robert (January 4, 2013). "Gadfly warns: Vote for Straus, get demerits on group's scorecard for bills his lieutenants smother". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  16. "Fiscal Responsibility Index". Empower Texans. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  17. "Landtroop receives endorsement". Plainview Herald. December 8, 2011.
  18. Wilder, Forrest (11 February 2013). "Michael Quinn Sullivan's Fuzzy Math". The Texas Observer. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  19. Quinn Sullivan, Michael. "Moving To Texas Scorecard!". Empower Texans. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  20. Martin, Brittney; McSwane, J. David (February 28, 2016). "Analysis: One group, and one donor, give large share of money in push to move Texas House to the right". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  21. Zelinski, Andrea (March 9, 2018). "Key conservative group Empower Texans loses 17 races in primary election". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  22. Svitek, Patrick (22 June 2020). "Empower Texans opponents rush to exact revenge over anti-Abbott tirade". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  23. Svitek, Patrick (19 June 2020). "Two Empower Texans staff members reprimanded after recording reveals them joking about Gov. Greg Abbott's wheelchair use". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  24. Hooks, Christopher (9 August 2019). "The Speaker and the Creeper: Everything You Need to Know About the Craziest Texas Political Scandal in Years". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  25. Hooks, Christopher (15 October 2019). "The Bonnen Tape Is Tawdry, Shocking, and Kinda Funny". Texas Monthly. Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  26. Pollock, Cassandra (22 October 2019). "Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen won't seek reelection after recording scandal". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  27. Ura, Alexa. Samuels, Alex. "“This is all confidential”: Key excerpts from secret recording of House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Texas Tribune, October 15, 2019.
  28. Pollock, Cassandra (October 22, 2019). "Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen won't seek reelection after recording scandal". Texas Tribune.
  29. Pollock, Cassandra (October 24, 2019). "Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen won't face criminal prosecution, Brazoria County DA says". Texas Tribune.
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