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Empower Texans
| Empower Texans | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Year founded: | 2006 |
| Website: | Official website |
Empower Texans was a nonprofit public policy organization that was founded in 2006 and dissolved in 2020.[1][2] The organization said it existed 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."[3]
Empower Texans' projects included Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texans for Courageous Courts, and the publication Texas Scorecard.[1][4][5]
On August 17, 2020, Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan said, "I am excited to announce that Texas Scorecard is being launched into its own separate non-profit organization, known corporately as ScorecardMedia."[6]
Background
As of February 2020, Empower Texans' website said:[1]
| “ |
Empower Texans is a non-profit service organization. Through multiple media formats, we educate and inspire Texans to exercise effective citizenship. Using research, reporting, and advocacy, we empower taxpayers to advocate for good governance and hold their elected officials accountable.[7] |
” |
Work and activities
Fiscal Responsibility Index
Starting in 2007, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility produced a Fiscal Responsibility Index that scored state legislators on what it called their performance on “size and role of government issues.”[8]
Political activity
According to Spectrum News, Empower Texas worked to recruit, endorse and support candidates "to challenge sitting Republicans in primary elections."[9] In 2018, the Texas Tribune reported that candidates and other groups received over $4.7 million from Empower Texas' political action committee.[10]
Endorsements
2020
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and Texans for Courageous Courts endorsed the following candidates for Texas' March 3, 2020, Republican primary:
- President of the United States
- Railroad commissioner
- Congress
- Louie Gohmert, District 1
- Van Taylor, District 3
- John Ratcliffe, District 4
- Lance Gooden, District 5
- Ron Wright, District 6
- Chris Putnam, District 12
- Chris Ekstrom, District 13
- Randy Weber, District 14
- George Hindman, District 17
- Chip Roy, District 21
- Michael Cloud, District 27
- Texas House
- Marian Knowlton, District 31
- Jon Francis, District 60
- Kyle Biedermann, District 73
- Jeff Cason, District 92
- Tony Tinderholt, District 94
- Samuel Smith, District 107
- Judicial elections
- Gina Parker, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3
- James Lombardino, First Court of Appeals, Place 5
- George Flint, 401st District Court
- Jim Johnson, 431st District Court
- Eric Yollick, 457th District Court
- Local elections
- Darrell Hale, Collin County Commissioner Precinct 3
- Billy Graff, Montgomery County Commissioner Precinct 1
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Empower Texans"
See also
External links
- Empower Texans
- Empower Texans on Twitter
- Texas Scorecard
- Texas Scorecard on Facebook
- Texas Scorecard on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Empower Texans, "About us," archived May 1, 2020
- ↑ Twitter, "Texas Election Source on October 6, 2020," accessed June 1, 2022
- ↑ Empower Texans, "About Texans for Fiscal Responsibility," archived April 20, 2012
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Primary Endorsements," archived November 30, 2020
- ↑ Texas Scorecard, "About Us," accessed February 12, 2020
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Moving To Texas Scorecard!" archived October 19, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Fiscal Responsibility Index," accessed February 12, 2020
- ↑ Spectrum News, "Empower Texans PAC Has Donated Only $23,400 This Cycle," October 30, 2020
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "Empower Texans helped topple House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. Did it further the conservative movement?" November 1, 2019
