GOP KINGMAKER FOILED IN TRY TO BUY OFF DISTRICT 35

By Juan Montoya

What interest would a multimillionaire home developer who has contributed in the millions to conservative, right-wing candidates across the United States have in the newly-created Texas House of Representative District 35 that encompasses such metropoli as La Joya, Penitas, Sullivan City and Edcouch?

That's what district voters are asking themselves as the financial reports of former Harlingen City Commissioner Gus Ruiz are coming to light and show that during the last 30 days prior to the May 29 election Ruiz, running as a Democrat, was the recipient of at least $75,000 in contributions from traditionally Republican donors.

In the 2010 primary, HD 35 was an open seat that takes in much of the rural areas of Hidalgo and Cameron County. It includes Sullivan City, La Joya, Penitas, Edcouch and La Villa in Hidalgo County and Combes, Santa Rosa, and the northern half of Harlingen in Cameron County. Ruiz’s opponent was Democratic La Joya attorney Oscar Longoria.

The hemorrhage of cash to Ruiz started off in April 25 when his campaign reported to the Texas Ethics Commission that it had received two donations of $10,000 each from Bob and Doyne Perry, of Houston.

That was followed by another Perry donation on May 22 of $15,000 coupled with an identical $15,000 donation from the HillCo PAC, another conservative group.

Then, on May 25, just four days before the May 29 election, the Texas for Lawsuit Reform, another conservative group, pitched in an additional $25,000.

All told, in less than one month's time, Ruiz received $75,000 from Perry and these conservative PACs.

According to his challenger's supporters, this influx of outside money from traditional

right-wing Republican donors to a Democrat in a newly-created district raised red flags.

"What were they trying to buy with all those huge donations?" said a Longoria supporter of the La Joya attorney who depended on a grassroots campaign of BBQ chicken plates and tent revival-style get-out-the-vote to attract local voters. "It makes you wonder why they had so much interest in our little neck of the woods."

Hidalgo County Democratic Party chair Dolly Elizondo-Garcia was a little more blunt. She sent out a news release in the last week of the election telling Democrats to beware.

“All Democrats in both Cameron and Hidalgo Counties needed to beware that Gus Ruiz was running for Texas House District 35 as a Republican camouflaging in Democrat clothing,” Elizondo-Garcia said.

The contributions by Perry and his wife by far perked the most interest. Perry, whose contributions to the Mitt Romney campaign has totalled in the millions was one of the biggest contributors to the George W. Bush runs for president.

The Center for Public Integrity said: "Perry, whose deep pockets helped underwrite the assault on Democrat John Kerry's military record during the 2004 presidential election (the Swift Boat veterans), may have done more than anyone else to ensure George W. Bush's narrow victory that year."

In fact, Perry, of Houston, has been a longtime underwriter of the Texas Republican Party, George W. Bush, and a host of conservative candidates, and has given at least $11 million to Republican causes: $7 million to American Crossroads and $4 million to the Republican Governors Association in the 2010 elections.

He's also given about $100,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, headed by Texan John Cornyn, and has given maximum contributions to about a dozen GOP Senate candidates, as well as $1,000 checks to two Texas Democrats.

According to USA Today, Perry has long been a giant donor – he spent $19 million on politics between 2003 and 2008.

Just in this year starting in February, he gave $500,000 to the American Crossroads, the Republican Party PAC, $500,000 to Restore Our Future, another $2.5 million to Crossroads, and then a spate of contributions to Romney's PAC of $100,000, $500,000, $3 million, and $75,000 respectively.

Ruiz supporters said that Perry has given to other Democrats over time. They said that according to the Texas Ethics Commission campaign finance reports from 2009-2012, state Sens. Eddie Lucio, Judith Zaffirini, and Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa have received funds from Perry, as have state Reps. Armando “Mando” Martinez, René Oliveira, Veronica Gonzales, and Sergio Munoz.

Beyond the Valley, Democrats to have received financial contributions from Perry include state Sens. Rodney Ellis, Mario Gallegos, Kirk Watson, John Whitmire, Royce West, Carlos Uresti, and state Reps. Garnet Coleman, Trey Martinez-Fischer, Senfronia Thompson, and Carol Alvarado.

Some of these recipients took the cue from Perry and gave Ruiz some money as well. Roerig, Oliveira and Fisher gave Ruiz $500 May 11, and former City of Brownsville Mayor Eddie Treviño chipped in another $500 for good measure.

However, the average $1,000 donations to these Democrats pale in comparison to the $35,000 the Perrys funnelled to Ruiz in the waning days of his losing campaign.

"In the end it was the little people of the district who decided they didn't want someone who would be indebted to Big Republican Money telling our representative what to do," said a Longoria supporter. "We dodged a bullet."