James Leininger At It Again

by: Damon McCullar

Mon Apr 17, 2006 at 07:35 PM CDT

Oregon's telegenic GOP goobernatorial candidate Jason Atkinson has got himself a Texas-style Sugar Daddy.

As we reported here on Saturday, Atkinson's campaign is reporting a hefty $50,000 contribution from Texas gajillionaire James Leininger.

Leininger (pronounced with a hard "g") is a big-time campaign donor in Texas. He's got no stomach for "moderate" Republicans and has gone out of his way to give copious amounts of cash to hard right candidates and causes in Texas.

Wonder if he will be as sucessful in Oregon has he has been here in Texas:

Dr. Leininger poured at least $6,914,042 in contributions and personal loans into campaigns and political action committees from mid-1997 to December 2004.

A $1.1 million loan from Dr. Leininger in the final weeks of the 1998 campaign funded a media blitz that helped Rick Perry win the race for lieutenant governor by just 2.3 percent of the vote.

Dr. Leininger guaranteed a last-minute $950,000 loan to Carole Keeton Strayhorn that helped her win the 1998 race for comptroller by just .05 percent of the vote.

Former Texas Attorney General and current U.S. Senator John Cornyn received $1 million in campaign contributions from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a Leininger political action committee, and $96,000 from Dr. Leininger himself.

Other notable recipients of contributions from Dr. Leininger include state Rep. Kent Grusendorf (chair of the House Education Committee and House Select Committee on Public School Finance), Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and State Board of Education member Terri Leo. Leininger has largely funded the rise of social and Christian conservatives on the State Board of Education.

Or maybe the folks in Oregon will see the light and show Leininger-backed candidates the door as we did here in Texas:

HB 94: Diane Patrick vs. Kent Grusendorf

Final - Patrick Wins

Kent Grusendorf (I): 8825 - 43.28%
Diane Patrick: 11,563 - 56.72%

HD 9: Wayne Christian (L) vs. Roy Blake

Final - Christian Won

Roy Blake (I): 3,323 - 43.83%
Wayne Christian (L): 4,258 - 56.17%

HD 73: Nathan Macias (L) vs. Carter Casteel

Final - Macias Wins

Carter Casteel (I): 10,131 - 49.89%
Nathan Macias (L): 10,176 - 50.11%%

HD 99: Chris Hatley (L) vs. Colby Brown vs. Charlie Geren

Final - Geren Wins

Chris Geren (I): 11,449 - 54.42%
Chris Hatley (L): 8,831 - 41.98%
Colby Brown: 759 - 3.6%

HD 7: Mark Williams (L) vs. Tommy Merritt

Final - Merritt Wins

Tommy Merritt (I): 6,732 - 58.47%
Mark Williams (L): 4,781 - 31.53%

HD 83: Van Wilson (L) vs. Frank Morrison vs. Delwin Jones

Final - Jones Wins

Delwin Jones (I): 5,113 - 59.72%
Van Wilson (L): 2,068 - 24.16%
Frank Morrison: 1,380 - 16.12%