A new political action committee with ties to Gov. Greg Abbott is taking aim at local elections in Texas, including San Antonio’s mayoral race.
The Texas Economic Fund (TEF) was created to promote conservative candidates at the local level — from school board races to county judgeships — and serve as a counterweight to the progressive groups it says have long been invested in the red state’s blue cities.
“Local elections are a critical foundation for building future conservative influence,” the group’s political strategist Mitchell Carney said in a Jan. 29 internal donor memo shared with the San Antonio Report.
“Our mission is to strengthen the conservative bench by targeting pivotal local elections and preparing the next generation of leaders who champion policies that directly impact economic growth, voter trust, and small business development,” he wrote in the memo.
Among the group’s first targets are two South Texas mayoral races, including San Antonio, where it’s supporting Rolando Pablos — an attorney who Abbott previously appointed to serve as secretary of state.
Pablos is among 27 candidates running to replace term-limited Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who has been an outspoken critic of the state’s GOP leaders in recent years.
“With no incumbent, this race is wide open, creating a prime opportunity to elect a pro-business candidate,” Carney said in the memo.
An email distributing the memo to potential donors identified the group’s chosen candidate as Pablos, who has worked closely with the governor through multiple appointed roles at the state capitol. Those connections have already helped Pablos become a top fundraiser in San Antonio’s crowded mayoral race.
The PAC is also targeting a mayoral race in McAllen, Texas, where Carney’s memo said progressive groups are ramping up their political activity. The move comes as Republicans made big inroads with voters in South Texas in the November election.
“Historically, progressive groups have invested heavily in building local benches, creating a strategic imperative for conservatives to counter these efforts,” Carney wrote. However, “recent urban and suburban shifts favor candidates focusing on reducing inflation, cost of living, and supporting small businesses.”
‘Unlimited funds’
TEF can’t legally coordinate directly with the candidates’ campaigns, but as a PAC, it can raise money free from the constraints of San Antonio’s $1,000 contribution limit for mayoral candidates.
“The PAC can accept unlimited funds from corporations, individuals, and PACs,” TEF’s consultant Kate Tankersley wrote in an email to prospective donors. “Your contribution to TEF is an investment in the future of San Antonio.”
The group plans to ramp up for activity in future election cycles, but so far has set a fundraising goal of $2 million across various “critical” local elections, according to the memo.
Tankersley’s email said the money will fund “media, block walking, voter contact, and advertising to over one million registered voters in San Antonio’s 2025 mayoral election.”
A polarizing endorsement
TEF’s leaders have close ties to Abbott, whose wife is from San Antonio and who spends significant time here.
Carney previously worked as the governor’s political director, and he’s the son of Dave Carney, Abbott’s longtime chief political strategist.
But it’s unclear how Pablos’ ties to the governor will play in his mayoral campaign.
The latest UTSA poll indicated about 28% of likely voters in San Antonio approve or somewhat approve of the job Abbott is doing as governor, compared to 57% that said they strongly disapprove.
In an interview with the San Antonio Report, Pablos said he too has had plenty of disagreements with the governor over the years. But he sees his relationships with state leaders as a net benefit to the city.
“The fact that I’m Republican or that this is a blue city, you know, I push all that aside,” Pablos said. “Wouldn’t you want someone who actually can have good relationships with our state leadership and not be fighting with them all the time? These are the people in Austin who control state funding.”
Pablos isn’t the only candidate with powerful allies in the race.
Former Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones, who ran for Congress as a Democrat, has the support of the national Democratic group Emily’s List.
Other local PACs are also being assembled up to allow more expensive campaigns than a candidate can raise under the city’s low contribution limit.
