- Texans United for a Conservative Majority – which purports to support “true conservatives” against so-called “RINOs” – accepted a $7,000 donation last week from trial lawyer Marc Gravely
- Gravely has donated $12,500 to the Texas Democratic Party since 2022 and has donated to Democrat politicians, including Congressman Vicente Gonzalez
- Gravely’s donation to Texans United for a Conservative Majority is another example of the increasingly close relationship between the political apparatus of megadonor Tim Dunn and personal injury trial lawyers – a constituency that has traditionally supported Democrats
Despite claiming to support “true conservatives” against “Democrat-enabling lawmakers who are Republicans in name only (RINOs)”, the Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC reported receiving $7,000 last week from a trial lawyer who has donated $12,500 to the Texas Democratic Party since 2022.
Formed in 2023, Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC has been the primary vehicle Midland businessman and megadonor Tim Dunn has used to influence Texas political races. Since its creation, Dunn has donated over $12 million to Texans United for a Conservative Majority.
On a campaign finance report filed with the Texas Ethics Commission on Monday, Texans United for a Conservative Majority reported receiving a $7,000 donation from trial lawyer Marc Gravely on October 24. Gravely’s donation was the largest donation reflected in the report.
On its website, Texans United for a Conservative Majority states, “Texans United for a Conservative Majority is a grassroots PAC dedicated to supporting and electing true conservatives to political office in Texas. Our PAC is determined to distinguish between genuine Republicans and the Democrat-enabling lawmakers who are Republicans in name only (RINOs). Texans United for a Conservative Majority is committed to promoting candidates who support the legislative priorities of the Republican Party of Texas and oppose the Austin Swamp.”
However, the PAC’s stated mission is in direct conflict with some of Gravely’s past political donations.
According to campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission, Gravely donated $10,000 to the Texas Democratic Party on September 26, 2022, and an additional $2,500 on July 1, 2023. Gravely has also been a major benefactor to Democrat Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, having donated $10,000 to the Vicente Gonzalez Victory Fund on September 26, 2022, and separate donations of $2,900 each to Gonzalez’s campaign on July 13, 2021, and March 31, 2022.
Texans United for a Conservative Majority’s decision to accept money from a trial lawyer with a history of donating to the Texas Democratic Party is the latest example of the increasingly close relationship between Tim Dunn’s political apparatus and plaintiff’s trial lawyers – a constituency that had traditionally supported Democrats.
Texas Scorecard, a media organization that Dunn serves as Chairman of, ran several opinion pieces during the recent state legislative session that aligned with the interests of personal injury trial lawyers and against conservative lawmakers and advocacy groups. The opinion pieces published by Texas Scorecard opposed Senate Bill 30 and Senate Bill 39, which Lt. Governor Dan Patrick designated as priority bills. Both bills were designed to rein in abusive litigation practices.
Earlier this year, Texas Scorecard featured an interview with personal injury trial lawyer Adam Loewy, who is known for his ubiquitous billboards around the Austin area. Loewy’s political contributions this year include donations to the Texas Democratic Party and to Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Loewy has also been a significant financial supporter of Democratic State Representative James Talarico and has indicated he will donate to Talarico’s campaign for the United States Senate.
Texans for Strong Borders, another organization in Dunn’s political network, was also involved in efforts against Senate Bill 30 and Senate Bill 39.
Both Senate Bills 30 and 39 passed the Texas Senate with the support of every Republican State Senator. However, both bills failed to become law.
The Texas Voice has previously reported on efforts by liberal personal injury trial lawyers to influence Republican Primary elections. Democrat trial lawyers Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin launched the Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC earlier this year with a $10 million donation from their law firm. During the 2024 election cycle, Arnold & Itkin was a major donor – along with George Soros – to a political action committee that encouraged voters to “Stop MAGA Republicans. Do Something Good. Vote for Every Democrat.”
Dunn himself has a history of making large donations to political groups that support liberal Democrats. During the 2012 election cycle, Dunn donated $500,000 to the Campaign for Primary Accountability. This SuperPAC played an instrumental role in Beto O’Rourke’s initial election to Congress that year and supported other prominent liberal Democrats such as Dennis Kucinich.
