Yesterday a forum was held featuring mayoral candidates Renard Johnson and Brian Kennedy at the El Paso Community College Administrative Services Center. The candidate forum was sponsored by El Paso Matters and Fitfam. The runoff election is scheduled for December 14. During the closing comments, the issue of special interests was brought up by Kennedy and Johnson responded. In his response, Johnson said that his biggest “donor” is his father, Alvin Johnson.
This mayoral election is arguably one of the most expensive in El Paso’s history with four of the candidates reporting spending $916,439.02 out of the eight candidates running for mayor. The close to one million dollars in the mayoral campaign includes contributions from political action committees (PACs), one of which contributed over $150,000 to Johnson’s campaign.
The Protect and Serve PAC’s contribution to Johnson has raised questions about “special interests” in the mayoral race. Kennedy made this point at the forum in his closing remarks.
So-called “special interests” are groups of people organized together for a common public policy. In the book Who Rules El Paso? published in 2020 by the Community First Coalition, the authors accused “half a dozen wealthy” El Pasoans of wielding “disproportionate power and influence” over the city’s local public policies by their campaign contributions.
The book argues that Paul Foster and Woody Hunt “are at the top of the exclusive pyramid.” Since than several other names have been added to El Paso’s “special interests” wealthy group. The most often cited are Miguel Fernandez, Francis Frederick, Ted Houghton and Douglas Schwartz. Another name that used to be cited was Bill Sanders, Beto O’Rourke’s father-in-law. However, in this election cycle, Sanders made less than $5,000 in campaign contributions. Joining his father is Josh Hunt who is now making larger campaign contributions in the local elections.
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Is Renard Johnson’s Father His Largest Contributor?
In his closing statements, Johnson responded to Kennedy’s accusation of “special interests” in Johnson’s campaign by stating that his “number one biggest donor is my dad.”
The Renard Johnson Campaign has reported $881,827.84 in campaign contributions through the 8-Day report. The next report is not due until December 6.
In reviewing the Johnson campaign finance reports we found that Woody Hunt has contributed $14,166.20 to the Renard Johnson campaign. This amount represents less than 2% of Johnson’s campaign contributions reported to date. Adding Josh Hunt’s $3,750.00 in campaign contributions to his father’s contributions to Johnson gives us a total of $17,916.20, or about 2%.
Paul Foster has not made a campaign contribution in this election cycle. Francis Frederick contributed $2,500 and Douglas Schwartz contributed $7,500.
Miguel Fernandez has made a direct $7,500 campaign contribution to Johnson while Ted Houghton contributed $5,500.
Compared to Alvin Johnson’s $41,350 in campaign contributions, Renard Johnson is correct that his father is his “biggest donor” when compared to contributions made directly to the Johnson campaign.
But the question of the “elephant in the room,” as Johnson characterized it, remains.
The “Elephant In The Room”
Brian Kennedy characterized the “special interests” in his closing statement and Johnson responded by arguing his father was his biggest donor in trying to dispel the “special interest” argument.
The problem for Johnson is that when the Protect and Serve PAC spending on behalf of the Johnson Campaign is calculated, the question of “special interests” becomes harder to ignore.
Not only has the PAC reported spending $150,231.54 on behalf of Johnson, three El Pasoans contributed $55,000 to the PAC. The amount represents 37% the PAC has spent supporting Johnson. Two of the three El Pasoans who contributed to the PAC are often cited as members of the wealthy “special interests” in El Paso elections.
They are Miguel Fernandez and Ted Houghton, who each contributed $25,000 to the PAC. Steve Ortega contributed $5,000 to the PAC. In total Fernandez has made $32,500 in direct and indirect contributions, while Houghton contributed $30,500 to Johnson.
Combined, the so-called El Paso “special interest” contributors made up of Fernandez, Houghton and Woody Hunt represent $77,166.20 of Johnson’s reported campaign contributions.
Based on individual contributors, Johnson’s father is his largest contributor with $41,350 in contributions. He is followed by Miguel Fernandez with $32,500 and Ted Houghton with $30,500. The so-called “special interests” group account for about $80,000 while the PAC has reported spending around $150,000 to help Johnson defeat Kennedy.
Although his father is his single largest contributor to date, the expenditures by the PAC to help Johnson defeat Kennedy remains the largest supporter of the Johnson Campaign.
Early voting for the run-off election begins on December 2 and runs through the 10th. The runoff election is scheduled for December 14.