Ranking: 10
Total contributions to super PACs: $3.3 million*
- $2 million to Priorities USA Action (pro-Barack Obama)
- $1 million to House Majority PAC (pro-Democratic)
- $200,000 to Planned Parenthood (pro-Democratic)
- $125,000 to Texans for America’s Future (pro-Democratic)
Notable federal hard money and 527 contributions**:
- $151,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (since 2008)
- $400,000 to the Democratic Governors Association to boost former Houston Mayor Bill White’s unsuccessful gubernatorial run against Gov. Rick Perry(2010)
Notable state-level contributions: (see here)
- $1.36 million to Democrats in state House and Senate districts (2010)
- $1 million to House Democratic Caucus of Texas ( since 2009)
Corporate name: Mostyn Law Firm
Total spent on federal lobbying (2007-2011): None found
Biography:
Not all super donors from Texas are Republicans. Houston trial lawyers Steve and Amber Mostyn have donated more than $2 million to Priorities Action USA, the super PAC founded to re-elect Barack Obama.
While their $3.2 million in donations to super PACs is modest compared with Texans Bob Perry ($16 million) and Harold Simmons ($18.9 million), it’s still quite a bit more than the maximum allowable candidate contribution of $5,000.
In the Texas-sized game of political spending, Perry is a familiar adversary to the Mostyn’s.
According to the Texas Tribune, the Houston couple pledged to spend $1.3 million to boost former Houston mayor Bill White in the state’s gubernatorial race, while Perry — the wealthy home builder and backer of laws to lessen jury awards — donated $1.5 million to Gov. Rick Perry’s successful bid.
According to The New York Times, the Mostyns’ donation to Priorities came shortly after a surprise visit from the group’s top strategists Paul Begala and Bill Burton, during which the Democratic operatives — aboard the Mostyns’ yacht in Florida — urged the couple to contribute to the super PAC.
In this year’s cycle, the couple has contributed $1 million to House Majority PAC and $200,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes.
Additionally the couple has solely funded Texans for America’s Future— a pro-Democratic super Pac that has spent nearly $50,000 to advocate for Obama’s re-election.
The couple earned its fortune from their legal practice, Mostyn Law Firm, which specializes in insurance and personal injury litigation.
Steve Mostyn, 41, served as the Texas Trial Lawyers Association’s youngest president last year.
He and his wife, the former Amber Anderson, founded the Mostyn Moreno Educational Foundation, which supports children with special needs in Texas. Amber Mostyn also sits on the board of Annie’s List, a group that supports women Democratic candidates in Texas.
Last updated: Sept. 27, 2012
*2011-2012 election cycle, source: Federal Election Commission
**2010 election cycle, source: Internal Revenue Service