© 2012 The Texas Lawbook.
By Natalie Posgate
Staff Writer for The Texas Lawbook
Texas is a predominantly conservative red state that Mitt Romney is expected to win by double digits.
But new data shows lawyers in the state, including those in larger law firms who would financially benefit more from the proposed tax policies of Romney, still favor President Obama – at least when it comes to political contributions.
New calculations from www.opensecrets.org, a website sponsored by the Center for Responsive Politics, show that Texas law firms have given about 10 percent more money to the Obama re-election campaign than they have to the Romney campaign.
Opensecrets.org reports that Texas law firms have given President Obama $414,603 in contributions during this election cycle. By contrast, lawyers in the Lone Star state have given $379,379 to the former Massachusetts governor. The contributions from each firm came through individual gifts and donations from political action committees.
The firms that contributed the most are, not surprisingly, the state’s three largest: Baker Botts, Fulbright & Jaworski and Vinson & Elkins.
Baker Botts lawyers have given $147,242 to the presidential candidates, but they favor Romney two-to-one. V&E has the second most money in the game: $130,521. Sixty percent of V&E’s contributions have gone to the Republican.
Fulbright has given $107,588 to the presidential campaigns, but its lawyers favor President Obama by a two-to-one margin.
The two Texas law firms with the heaviest partisanship are Susman Godfrey and Winstead. Susman has donated $86,965 to the Obama re-election effort and $0 to Romney. By contrast, lawyers at Winstead have contributed $52,454 to the Romney campaign, but only $8,125 to Obama.
The National Law Journal reported on Sept. 27 that lawyers at the 20 largest U.S. law firms had given $1.9 million to the Obama re-election efforts, compared to $1 million for Romney.
Calculations for campaign finance, lobbying data, outside spending data and personal finance disclosure data are based on data released by the Federal Election Commission and the IRS; the Senate Office of Public Records; and the House, Senate and US Office of Government Ethics.
These reports do not include contributions made to the political parties or political action committees. For example, Houston plaintiff’s attorney Steve Mostyn has given more than $2 million to Super PACs supporting Obama. Fellow Houston trial lawyer John Eddie Williams has given $450,000 to Super PACs supporting the president’s campaign.
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