With no cap on the amount individuals can donate to political action committees (PACs) or statewide candidates, Texas elections are driven by an elite group of large donors. The Texas Independent analyzed campaign finance reports dating to 2005 in order to determine the five Texans who made the largest political contributions for each of the last three election cycles. In ranking the largest donors over the last half decade, a rotating cast of individuals fill the top slots, with each diverting their spending through outside groups, hiding the full extent of their political involvement. (The full list of top donors and their contributions is posted after the jump.)

Home builder Bob Perry and his wife Doylene led the list of most political donations during each of the last three elections, often by a wide margin. Since the beginning of 2005, the couple spent over $18 million on Texas candidates and PACs, with the majority of those funds directed toward Republican causes.

Texas’ top donors tend to favor contributing funds to PACs rather than donating directly to candidates. Of the 15 donors examined, in all but one instance, the largest recipient of their donations was a PAC rather than a candidate. The only exception to date has been the Perrys during the 2010 election; the power couple has donated $910,000 to Gov. Rick Perry’s (no relation) current reelection bid to date since the beginning of 2009. But they still found the resources to contribute $500,000 to the Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC during the same time period.

Additionally, Bob Perry has given $4 million in 2010 and $2 million in 2009 to the Republican Governors Association, a section 527 group. In 2006, Bob Perry gave $1 million to the RGA, which sent $1 million to Gov. Perry right before the election. Democratic challenger Chris Bell sued over the transaction, collecting $426,000 from Gov. Perry in a settlement and winning a $2 million judgment against the RGA, which is appealing.

The roundabout contribution habits of large donors are typified by Fred and Lisa Blue Baron, who have been in the top three donors for each of the last three election cycles. Fred — who passed away in 2008 — founded an organization called Texas Democratic Trust in 2005. Since then, $6.5 million of the power couple’s $7.2 million total contributions have gone toward that organization. In turn, the group has spent vast sums to support Democratic causes, with the majority of the group’s contributions directed toward either the Texas Democratic Party or House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Both Democratic and Republican donors funnel their contributions to their favorite politicians through organizations. In the 2006 election, George Ryan was the third largest donor, making a total of $1,265,354 in political contributions. He donated $400,354 to independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn, but the majority of his funds — $785,000 total — went to his own group, Ryan & Company Texas PAC. However that PAC also directed most of its contributions toward Strayhorn’s campaign, adding an extra $500,000 to her campaign. Ryan’s donations to his PAC even directly corresponded to the PAC’s donations to Strayhorn. On Sept. 22, Ryan contributed $150,000 Ryan & Company Texas PAC and on the exact same day the PAC donated the $150,000 to Strayhorn’s campaign.

These indirect contributions create the appearance that candidates receive their funding from a wider spectrum of sources than is actually the case. Take Steve and Amber Mostyn, two married lawyers who have joined the class of elite donors during the current election cycle. Just under their own name, they are currently the third highest donors of the cycle, supporting Democratic causes such as their $250,000 in contributions to gubernatorial candidate Bill White. But the true extent of their involvement in this election is only attainable through the examining Mostyn Law Firm, which has spent a total of $4,260,171. The majority of that money, over $3 million, has gone to Back to Basics PAC, a group that has run an extensive commercial campaign attempting to discredit Rick Perry.

Below is a ranked list of the top five donors for each of the last three election cycles. The PACs and individual candidates which received the largest total contributions during that cycle is listed below each donor.

Top Donors for 2005-2006

1. Bob and Doylene Perry: $7,110,064 spent

—-$835,000 contributed to Republican Party Of Texas
—-$381,799 contributed to Gov. Rick Perry

2. James and Cecelia Leininger: $5,370,966 spent

—-$2,358,707 contributed to Texas Republican Legislative Campaign Committee
—-$100,000 contributed to David Dewhurst

3. Fred and Lisa Baron: $2,094,201 spent

—-$1,950,000 contributed to Texas Democratic Trust
—-$25,000 contributed to Christopher Bell

4. George Ryan: $1,265,354 spent

—-$785,000 contributed to his own PAC, Ryan & Company Texas PAC
—-$400,354 contributed to Carole Keeton Strayhorn

5. Charles Butt: $1,228,921 spent

—-$318,000 to Texas Parent PAC
—-$160,000 contributed to State Rep. Diane Patrick

Top Donors for 2007-2008

1. Bob and Doylene Perry: $5,072,750 spent

—-$500,000 contributed to Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
—-$150,000 contributed to state Rep. Joan Huffman

2. Fred and Lisa Blue Baron: $3,617,160 spent

—-$3,412,701 contributed to Texas Democratic Trust
—-$25,00 contributed to State Sen. Kirk Watson

3. Charles Butt: $2,115,730 spent

—-$785,000 to contributed to Texas Parents PAC
—-$108,000 contributed to state Rep. Douglas Miller

4. Harold and Annette Simmons: $1,244,750 spent

—-$350,000 contributed to Texans for Lawsuit Reform
—-$100,000 contributed to AG Greg Abbott

5. Tom Craddick: $1,340,172 spent

—-$1,335,000 contributed to Stars Over Texas PAC
—-$496 contributed to Comptroller Susan Combs

Top Donors for 2009-2010 (these figures only cover spending through Sept. 23 and are likely to increase by the end of the election)

1. Bob and Doylene Perry: $6,228,055 spent

—-$910,000 contributed to Gov. Rick Perry
—-$500,000 contributed to Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2. Lisa Blue Baron: $1,522,146 spent

—-$1,435,600 contributed to Texas Democratic Trust
—-$13,046 contributed to Bill White

3. Steve and Amber Mostyn: $1,355,566 spent*

—-$403,557 contributed to Texas Trial Lawyers Assn. PAC
—-$125,000 contributed to Bill White
—-*also contributed $4,260,171 through The Mostyn Law Firm

4. Harold and Annette Simmons: $1,117,350 spent

—-$125,000 contributed to Texans for Lawsuit Reform
—-$350,000 contributed to Gov. Rick Perry

5. David Alameel: $1,150,000 spent

—-$1,150,000 contributed to North Texas Leadership PAC
—-No contributions to individual candidates during this cycle
—-North Texas Leadership PAC has about $1 million cash to support Dallas-area Democrats

Disclaimer: To create this list of donors, The Texas Independent examined campaign finance reports available online through the Texas Ethics Committee. The amounts represent contributions made during the calendar year of the cycle. So 2006 donations encompass any donation made between Jan. 1 2005-Dec. 31 2006, for the 2008 cycle contributions made between Jan. 1 2007-Dec. 31 2008. The amounts only include total contributions made by individuals or married couples, but excludes donations made from their associated PACs, companies, law firms, etc. so each donor’s total spending may be higher than the figure listed above. The numbers also only examine donations at the state level, not contributions to federal candidates or organizations.