- The Arnold & Itkin law firm, a major donor to efforts that helped Democrats this year, is the largest donor to Texas House GOP Caucus Chair Tom Oliverson through its Texans for Truth & Liberty PAC
- Oliverson’s other top donors include the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, which also played a key role in Democratic victories across Texas
- Despite being funded by Democrats, Oliverson has sought to portray himself as a friend to Republican Party activists
Texas House Republican Caucus Chairman Tom Oliverson’s biggest donors are Democrat-aligned sources, including some who played an instrumental role in helping flip control of the Texas House of Representatives to Democrats on election night.
Oliverson, who represents a suburban Harris County district, has served as Caucus Chairman since 2024.
Oliverson’s biggest donor since last year is the Houston-based personal injury law firm Arnold & Itkin, which has given Oliverson $90,000 through its Texans for Truth & Liberty PAC. The Arnold & Itkin law firm and its Partners, Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, have been major donors to efforts to elect Democrats across Texas for many years.
The Arnold & Itkin firm donated $300,000 to the First Tuesday PAC for the 2026 election cycle, which it used to fund ads accusing Republicans of corruption and causing inflation. The ads also urged voters to vote for every Democrat on the ballot.
“Republican inflation just keeps getting worse. Trump and corrupt Texas Republicans like Ken Paxton help their billionaire backers raise OUR prices. We can’t afford to let them win. Elect Democrats to fight back,” read one mail piece sent by First Tuesday.
Arnold & Itkin also donated $150,000 to the Texas Justice PAC last month, which used the funds to help elect Democrats.
As previously reported by The Texas Voice, the Arnold & Itkin law firm once bragged on its website that it obtained the “largest settlement for an undocumented worker in United States history.” In 2024, Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin formed an organization called “Texas Democratic Voices.”
Oliverson’s second-largest donor since last year is the Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC, which has given him $50,000. Despite its name, the largest donors to the Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC are personal injury trial lawyers who have a history of supporting Democrats.
During the 2026 General Election, the Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC donated $20,000 to Democrat Nathan Johnson’s successful campaign for Attorney General against Republican Mayes Middleton. It also donated large amounts to Democrats Zach Herbert, Kristian Carranza, and Denise Wooten in their successful campaigns to flip Texas House seats held by Republicans.
The Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) PAC has given Oliverson $25,000 since last year, making it his third-largest donor during that time.
Long a leading funder of Texas Democrats, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association was identified in a fundraising and strategy memo published by the pro-Democrat Blueprint Texas PAC as one of its allied organizations it would be working with to defeat Republicans in this year’s election.
Blueprint Texas PAC’s memo outlined the Texas Trial Lawyers Association’s involvement in two of its initiatives: an opposition research project targeting 15 state house races and a coordinated voter-targeting and outreach effort in “legislative, county and congressional races.”
Dennis Speight, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association’s Director of Political Affairs, is a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee.
Oliverson also accepted $10,000 from the Justice for Texas Victims PAC. Houston trial lawyer Muhammad Aziz is the Justice for Texas Victims PAC’s largest donor. Aziz helped bankroll the efforts of First Tuesday PAC and other groups that helped elect Democrats this year, and is a past donor to embattled Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Like Arnold & Itkin, Aziz’s law firm also boasts about its work representing illegal immigrants in civil lawsuits.
In an interview with Bridges, a Muslim advocacy organization formerly known as the Minaret Foundation, Oliverson espoused policy positions that are controversial in conservative circles.
In response to a question about welcoming refugees posed by a liberal pastor who noted that “President Trump has once again lowered the refugee cap for the United States to an all-time low” and “Governor Abbott sought to refuse refugees altogether in Texas,” Oliverson expressed support for welcoming refugees.
“Our country is a nation of immigrants. And I think one of the best things about the United States through the centuries, through the decades, is that we do rise to the occasion,” said Oliverson. “In my opinion, refugees are always welcome.”
Oliverson also expressed support for an interventionist foreign policy to “fight against oppression.”
“I think our country is a country that and our people are a people that we’re willing to fight for the cause of liberty and justice for all, even outside of our borders. We’re willing to take that fight to the enemy, whoever that is,” he said.
“You know, people sometimes criticize and say, well, you know, you shouldn’t be the world’s policeman. Well, no, I’m sorry, but if you’re going to claim to be the city on a hill, if you’re going to be a beacon for others, you have to be willing to stand up and fight against oppression where you see oppression, even if that’s not at home. Certainly, if it is at home, you should be. But even if it’s abroad, you should be willing to. If you’re going to claim to be the world’s leader, which I know many of us like to think that the United States is a leader of nations among the nations, we’ve got to be willing to go out there and go toe to toe with those who oppress their own people.”
In 2022, Oliverson was a featured speaker at a legislative briefing hosted by Bridges that was advertised as being “exclusive to Muslim health professionals.”
Despite now being heavily funded by Democrats, Oliverson has attempted to portray himself as a friend to Republican Party activists.
During his unsuccessful campaign for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives in the run-up to the 2025 legislative session, Oliverson advocated for the defeat and censure of Republican lawmakers who voted against the Republican Caucus choice for House Speaker.
“If people were stupid enough to vote against their own party, their own caucus, publicly, in full view of everyone else, I hope you will join with me in making sure that’s their last session ever. In fact, if we even think that happens, I hope you’ll be prepared to come together as a group and start talking about censure before we even get off the floor that day,” Oliverson told members of the State Republican Executive Committee in August 2024.
“That would be a total betrayal of our party, of our platform, of our caucus and of the friendships we’ve been building amongst colleagues, and that I think would be very deserving of censure.”
At that meeting, Oliverson also expressed support for giving preferential treatment to the Republican Party of Texas’ legislative priorities. “We’re going to prioritize your priorities,” he said.
Oliverson reported having $562,302.16 on hand in his campaign account as of October 24. According to campaign finance records, Oliverson donated just $104.10 to Republican Texas House members and candidates for the 2026 general election.
