Greg Abbott Took $9 Million From Data-Center Donors — Then Moved to Regulate Them
Greg Abbott Took $9M from Data-Center Donors. Now He Regulates Them
A Texas Tribune analysis found that since July 2025, Greg Abbott has collected roughly $9 million from donors tied to data centers — about 13% of everything he raised — including $1.5 million from Joe Gebbia and $500,000 from Elon Musk. Much of it arrived right after he issued regulatory recommendations and paused grid approvals. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows took millions too, while the 2027 session prepares to write the industry's rules.
The evidence does not prove corruption. It does establish that the system, as currently constructed, makes it genuinely difficult to tell where industry access ends and public policy begins.