[highlights added] Nationally, Houston home builder Bob Perry is best known for contributing almost $4.5 million to the swift boat ad campaign that helped sink Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid.

In Texas, he remains a major money guy for numerous state officeholders, candidates and political committees, mostly - but not exclusively - Republican.

During the 13 months since the 2007 legislative session ended, he has given about $2.3 million to Texas candidates and causes, according to new filings with the Texas Ethics Commission. Housing starts may be down, but that amount keeps Perry at or near the top of the state's political donor list.

His single biggest donation during that period was $250,000 to Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the business group that has had much success promoting laws clamping down on lawsuits and plaintiffs' lawyers.

Other major recipients include Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, $125,000, and Sen. Mike Jackson, R-Pasadena, $77,500. Dewhurst isn't on the ballot this year, but Jackson is in a re-election battle with Democratic challenger Joe Jaworski of Galveston.

Perry also continues to be a steady source of campaign cash for House candidates and political committees supportive of Speaker Tom Craddick.

"Mr. Perry has long supported candidates and officeholders who advance Texas through job creation, strong schools and lawsuit reform," said spokesman Anthony Holm.

Perry's largess, of course, also has helped advance his own interests, including the creation a few years ago of the Texas Residential Construction Commission to help protect home builders from lawsuits.

And, more recently, his company won a major victory in a defective home case before the Texas Supreme Court, all nine of whose members have received campaign dollars from Perry. The victory was close though, with four of Perry's beneficiaries voting against him.

Rivaling donations

Perry's giving can sometimes be confusing.

Consider his mark on the special election to fill the Houston-area District 17 state Senate seat vacated by Republican Kyle Janek.

On April 3, he gave $20,000 to Houston businessman Austen Furse, a Republican and the first candidate to jump into the race after Janek announced plans to resign.

Then, on June 25, he gave $25,000 to former Judge Joan Huffman, another Republican who also has entered the race.

Holm said Perry isn't hedging his bets but is "unequivocally supporting" Huffman, which means she, and not Furse, is likely to get more of the home builder's money.

Democrat Chris Bell also will have to look elsewhere for campaign cash.

A lot of cash for uncertainty

We already knew it costs a lot of money to run for statewide office.

But it also can cost a lot of money simply to decide which office to seek.

They didn't get much attention at the time, but Dewhurst ran two 30-second TV commercials on hot-button issues earlier this year in some of the smaller cities. The ads, which ran about the time of the March 4 primary, apparently were designed to increase the lieutenant governor's name identification and standing on issues important to Republican voters.

In them, he stressed the need to ensure that only U.S. citizens can vote and called for secure borders.

Dewhurst - stymied by Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison - still hasn't decided what he will do in 2010, although his long-term plan was to run for governor.

While he continues to contemplate his future, we now know how much that ad campaign cost - more than $700,000, according to his new campaign finance report.

Most of that went to Dresner Wickers & Associates of San Francisco for media and consulting services. Dewhurst's political committee also paid Dempsey Film Group of Little Rock, Ark., $9,300 for production costs.

Loaded donations

Just wondering, but if you were an officeholder or political candidate, would you accept money from either the BP or the Countrywide political action committee during this election year? BP is still getting a lot of negative publicity over the 2005 explosion at its Texas City refinery, and Countrywide has been in the middle of the sub-prime mortgage lending crisis.

Both PACs, however, are still giving money, and some Texas politicians are still accepting it.

Craddick and challenger Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, have taken $1,000 each this year from Countrywide, as have several other legislators, including Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, and Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio. Craddick also received $1,000 from BP and Keffer, $500.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, got $1,000.

Reps. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston; Jim Murphy, R-Houston; Joe Crabb, R-Kingwood; Charles Howard, R-Sugar Land; and Frank Corte, R-San Antonio, among others, got $500 apiece from BP.

Clay Robison, Houston Chronicle (clay.robison@chron.com)

Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/robison/5898402.html

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