Congressman’s campaign funded Pearland runoff effort
In a little over two weeks at the end of May, a political action committee funded chiefly by the campaign of Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Olson spent more than $30,000 to help re-elect Pearland Mayor Tom Reid and City Council candidate Woody Owens.
The last-minute push by the We Are Pearland PAC may account, at least in part, for an unusual surge in voter turnout in Saturday’s runoff. As I discussed in my latest Greater Houston column, almost twice as many voters participated in the runoff as in the general election in May — a reversal of the typical pattern.
Reid, who has led Pearland for more than 30 years, defeated challenger Quentin Wiltz, while Owens defeated
Dalia Kasseb, the first openly Muslim candidate in Brazoria County.
“A small amount of money can make a big difference in a local election,” said University of
Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus.
According to its June 2 filing with the Texas Ethics Commission, the We Are Pearland PAC raised $32,450 and spent $31,572 from May 15 to May 31. Its biggest donation was $20,000 from the Olson for Congress Committee. Olson, whose 22nd congressional district includes Pearland, also recorded calls urging support for Reid.
Aside from the Olson gift, the largest contribution to the PAC was $4,000 from Michael O’Day of Pearland, the owner of O’Day Drilling. Most of the other donations were for less than $1,000. The PAC’s treasurer, Leisha D’Angelo, managed Reid’s campaign.
All of the organization’s expenditures were payments to an Austin advertising firm, Murphy Nasica & Associates, for campaign mailers,