UPDATE: This PAC spent over $60,000 on behalf of Bowen.
It took me a while to figure this out, but I did.
While on the CCISD Board former Trustee Scott Bowen recruited candidates to run against sitting Board members. He also accepted money from his billionaire buddies featured by CNN, Timothy Dunn and Farris Wilks. They formed a PAC, Defend Texas Liberty and was spreading money all across Texas to extremist candidates like Bowen. That was until their leadership was caught by The Texas Tribune meeting with a known white supremacist, Nick Fuentes. The PAC dissolved. But they are back and are attacking Bowen’s opponent Albert Wittliff.
Bowen’s buddies have a number of PACs, one being Texans for Common Sense. (LOL) This PAC was created late this year and has only 1 ethics report and only 1 donor, Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC. This PAC is solely funded by Farris Wilks and Timothy Dunn, Bowen’s billionaire buddies after their original PAC was dissolved.
As noted earlier Bowen is the new PACMAN receiving 98% of all his donations from PACs. This does not include the cost of the mailers paid for by his billionaire buddies. You have to wonder why the Republican Party is spending almost $500,000 on a race in the Clear Lake area that is a 15 point Republican stronghold.
Maybe there is a perfect storm brewing. A horrible candidate like Bowen, a great candidate like Wittliff, and a possible wave of discontent. Besides the incredible amount of money being raised and spent, this mailer kind of sucks. Most people are too g**damn busy wondering how they are going to buy groceries and could care less about a g**damn damn.
Alex Mealer is running for Congress in the newly drawn Congressional District 9. In 2022, she ran for Harris County Judge as Alexandria Moyer Mealer, lost by a couple thousand votes, sued over the results, and then shortened her name on the ballot for the Republican primary four years later. She went on to handily defeat her primary opponent, State Representative “Little Baby” Briscoe Cain pictured below with his mom.
Why the name change? Her pollsters likely calculated that running as “Alex” would give her an edge with conservative voters who might assume she was a male candidate. The strategy worked, and she won the nomination. She now faces Leticia Gutierrez, who comfortably won her own primary against two other candidates while running under her established name.
In the general election, local connection matters. Gutierrez grew up in the district, while Mealer lives in The Heights—outside District 9’s borders. Though election law doesn’t require candidates to live in the district they seek to represent, opponents will certainly highlight the gap. Election law also doesn’t require an official name change in her case. Besides not living in the district and adopting a white mans name, her unwavering love and devotion to Donald Trump will require a subscription to the Chap Stick of the month club.
Confused? Don’t be, just vote for the woman in the race.
The Clear Creek Association of Retired Teachers (CCART) is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving public education across the Clear Creek area and advocating for retired teachers. Its members regularly donate their time and energy to this mission, including forming a Legislative Committee to engage local political candidates on key education priorities.
As an example last session the Legislature passed a teacher pay raise which CCART supported but they created a $5 Billion liability for the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) causing it to go from being actuarially sound to unsound. Fixing this situation in the upcoming session is one of the priorities for CCART.
CCART recently hosted a candidate forum and extended invitations to all local candidates running for state office—including former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen. Bowen failed to attend. State Representative Dennis Paul was also a no-show. In contrast, Shannon Dicely (candidate for Texas Senate) and Albert Wittliff (candidate for House District 129) both prioritized the event and showed up to listen to public school advocates.
This marks the second time Bowen and Paul have ignored community invitations. Just a few months ago, both turned down a nonpartisan neighborhood meeting regarding skyrocketing homeowners insurance costs. Neither bothered to respond; neither bothered to show up.
Bowen’s absence comes as no surprise. His tenure on the CCISD Board was defined by chaos, culminating in a decisive 12-point defeat in his reelection bid. During his time on the board, he sponsored a partisan resolution favoring school vouchers and backed measures that divert public funds to wealthy private school families. His true priorities are clear: aligning with Governor Greg Abbott, slashing school funding, and tuning out educators—all while falsely campaigning as a champion of public education.
Don’t be fooled. Scott Bowen is bad for business, bad for education, and bad for our community.
Thanks to I45Now for providing the video. You can watch it below. Thanks to Eric for the notes of the event.
Just an FYI. I believe Bowen is probably one of the worst candidates for State Representative the Bay Area has ever had. He has a horrible record on the CCISD Board, all documented at bayareahouston.net/ScottBowen. It is why he lost his re-election by 12 points. It was a very clear message, and notably, those 12 points came from the Harris County portion of CCISD.
HD-129 is in Harris County. The district historically is a 15-point stronghold for Republicans, but this year there might be a perfect storm brewing: a poor Republican candidate, a very well-qualified Democratic candidate, and a potential wave of voter frustration with the party.
Today I’m fact-checking Scott Bowen. Tomorrow I will fact-check Wittliff.
On Insurance: Bowen warned that putting restrictions on the free market will drive home insurance companies out of Texas, just like California. However, that has already happened. TCAIS is composed of six of the largest insurance companies in Texas: Allstate, Farmers, Farm Bureau, USAA, Nationwide, and State Farm. Of these, only USAA will offer policies in the Bay Area, and their rates are exorbitant (they quoted me $15,000/year with a $13,000 deductible). The others refused to offer a policy at all.
On Supporting State-Sponsored Insurance: Insurance companies have largely pulled out of the 14 coastal counties. Now, most homeowners rely on a state-sponsored policy called TWIA (Texas Windstorm Insurance Association). Bowen wants to expand their coverage to HD-129 instead of requiring the free market to remain. (Note: Harris County and all of Texas also have access to the Texas FAIR Plan, another state-sponsored program.)
On Driverless Cars: When asked about street congestion in the district, Bowen suggested driverless cars instead of mass transit. How adding more cars to the road reduces congestion makes no sense. Furthermore, his claims linking rail to crime were unsupported by facts or figures. It was one of the weakest moments of the forum.
On Taxes: After 30 years of Republican rule, Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the country. Scott fully supports Governor Abbott’s tax strategy, just as he backed his voucher plan. Bowen claimed he spoke with a resident whose property taxes exceed what he paid for his house—a mathematical impossibility. While no one likes paying taxes, cutting school property taxes simply shifts the burden to taxpayers through higher sales taxes while starving our public schools, cities, and counties.
On School Vouchers: Bowen fully supports another round of school vouchers, which primarily benefit wealthy parents. Over 70% of vouchers have been awarded to students already enrolled in private schools.
Closing Statement: According to Bowen, the Bay Area is a Republican stronghold and voters should continue voting for a “conservative.” For over 30 years, the Bay Area has elected Republicans, yet the cost of living has continued to rise. Over the last 28 years, I recall only one town hall meeting held by Representative John Davis. The Republican Party has taken voters for granted, and local residents are paying the price.
As I have said before, Bowen is going to take a knee to Abbott leaving us without representation. Again.
In this latest reporting period 90% of Greg Abbott’s total donations were from those contributing $1Million to $10,000. Abbott raised $20.3 Million with $18.3 Million coming from donors contributing $10,000 or more! This includes $5 Million from 5 donors with $1 Million each. $14.4 Million came from those donating $100,000 or more. This includes $750,000 Million from his Muslim buddy Javaid Anwar. (I guess he will not attack a Muslim just as long as they are donors. Go figure.) Jeff Yass donated $1 Million. He doesn’t live in Texas.
So who do you think Abbott is going to represent if reelected?
Donor
Amount
Yass, Jeff
$1,000,000
Dwyer, John
$1,000,000
Fisher, Kenneth
$1,000,000
Gebbia, Joe
$1,000,000
DealOn LLC
$1,000,000
Rowling, Robert
$500,000
Sewell, Carl
$500,000
Stedman, Stuart
$500,000
Texas Republican Leadership Fund
$500,000
Rosenzweig, Robin
$250,000
Perot Jr., H. Ross
$250,000
Henderson III, George
$250,000
Brauer Jr., Stephen
$250,000
Campbell, Cody
$250,000
Mayfair Investments
$250,000
Baggett Jr., David
$250,000
Kinder, Nancy
$250,000
Duncan, Janet
$250,000
Bejarano, Andrew
$250,000
Hildebrand, Jeffery
$250,000
Weisman, John
$250,000
Anwar, S. Javaid
$250,000
Anwar, S. Javaid
$250,000
Anwar, S. Javaid
$250,000
Culp, Timothy
$250,000
Foster, Paul
$250,000
Tucker, Bradford
$200,000
Bellinger, John
$200,000
Pyle, David
$200,000
Hernandez III, Michael
$150,000
Breyer, James
$150,000
Formby, Katrine and William
$100,000
Sprecher, Jeffrey
$100,000
Clay Cooley Investments
$100,000
Dharod, Sunil
$100,000
Halbert, David
$100,000
Coffman, Barbara
$100,000
Long, Thomas
$100,000
Deason, Douglas
$100,000
Martin III, Ruben
$100,000
Perkins, James
$100,000
Moore III, Ardon
$100,000
Lacy Jr., Thomas
$100,000
Peinado, Frank
$100,000
Mitzner, Ira
$100,000
Agresti, Joseph
$100,000
Texans United For A Conservative Majority
$100,000
Spamer, Joaquin
$100,000
Porter, Michael
$100,000
Timmerman, Timothy
$100,000
Hock, Stacy
$100,000
Friends of The University of Texas System
$100,000
Stallings, Kyle
$100,000
Love, Katharine Armstrong & Ben
$100,000
Davis, James
$75,000
Huddleston Jr., Albert
$75,000
Evans, Donald
$75,000
Rydman, John
$50,100
Housing Continuity PAC
$50,000
Mansour, Tarek
$50,000
Sinha, Vikas
$50,000
McGuire, Michael
$50,000
Solomon, Steven
$50,000
Schaap, Andrew
$50,000
Alpert, Robert
$50,000
Korenvaes, Harlan
$50,000
Stodghill, Steven
$50,000
U.S. Anesthesia Partners of Texas, P.A.
$50,000
Brooks, Randy
$50,000
Thomas Jr., Clifton
$50,000
Stumberg, Eric
$50,000
Weaver, Rad
$50,000
Franklin, Larry
$50,000
Upward Communities, LLC
$50,000
Texas Automobile Dealers Assn. PAC
$50,000
AT&T Inc. Texas Political Action Committee
$50,000
Stone Hilton PLLC
$50,000
Sharplin Jr., Arthur
$50,000
Base Power, Inc. PAC
$50,000
Kaye, Spencer
$50,000
Roche, David
$50,000
Lance Jr., D. Kent
$50,000
Ford, Curtis
$50,000
Harper, Jack
$50,000
Snap Partners LP
$50,000
Serrao, Gregory
$50,000
Martin, Gary
$46,450
Cox, Bobby
$44,800
Martin, Gary
$44,750
Martin, Gary
$37,300
Martin, Gary
$37,100
Ford, Curtis
$36,839
Texas Apartment Assn. PAC
$35,000
Houghton IV, Edward
$35,000
Bowling, Randall
$35,000
Bowling IV, Robert
$35,000
Martin, Gary
$32,300
Martin, Gary
$32,300
Curry, Patrick
$32,200
Metropolitan Anesthesia Consultants, LLP Political Action Committee
$30,000
Mahrouq, Hussein
$30,000
Texas Building Branch Associated General Contractors PAC
$30,000
Olson, Robert
$28,000
Martin III, Ruben
$26,170
Peykoff II, Andrew
$25,000
INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN’S ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION
$25,000
Stewart, Andrew
$25,000
HNTB Holdings Ltd. Political Action Committee
$25,000
Surls, Phillip
$25,000
Troutt, Kenny
$25,000
Long, Kathleen
$25,000
Haddad, Mojy
$25,000
Byrd, Lance
$25,000
NCHA’s Texas Events PAC
$25,000
Kleinheinz, John
$25,000
Merrill, Rick
$25,000
Luskey, Stephen
$25,000
Johnson, John
$25,000
Pontikes Jr., George
$25,000
Cokinos, Michael
$25,000
D’Ambra Jr., Anthony
$25,000
Bloxsom III, Allan
$25,000
Galo, John
$25,000
Hartman, Gordon
$25,000
United Services Automobile Association Employee PAC
$25,000
Accelerate Central Texas
$25,000
Herschmann, Eric
$25,000
Texas Land Title Association PAC
$25,000
Price, Tracy
$25,000
Williams, Modesta
$25,000
Stice, Travis
$25,000
Gilliam Jr., Frosty
$25,000
Needham, John
$23,972
Curry, Patrick
$22,633
Curry, Patrick
$20,533
PrizePicks PAC
$20,000
Mahrouq, Hussein
$20,000
Bennett Jr., James
$20,000
Patel, Veena
$20,000
Benavides Jr., Arturo
$20,000
Benavides, Arturo
$20,000
Farias III, Fred
$20,000
DeWitte, Jacob
$20,000
Ahern Jr., James
$20,000
Metropolitan Anesthesia Consultants PLLC
$19,783
Mitzner, Ira
$15,810
Jaffe, Jordan
$15,000
Wells Fargo and Company Employee PAC
$15,000
Hickman, Christopher
$15,000
Houston Pilots PAC Fund
$15,000
Cantu, Alonzo
$15,000
Sicilia, Michael
$12,500
WhitestorkBio LLC
$10,000
Kotlicki, Dan
$10,000
Kotlicki, Dan
$10,000
Bair, Andrew
$10,000
ENTERPRISE HOLDINGS, INC. / ENTERPRISE MOBILITY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$10,000
ConocoPhillips SPIRIT PAC
$10,000
Carson, Richard
$10,000
Marchant Leadership Fund
$10,000
Nafal, Marwan
$10,000
Mann, Doug
$10,000
King, Glyn and Karen
$10,000
White, Alan
$10,000
Bancroft, Christopher
$10,000
Aung, Katie
$10,000
Southwest Airlines Co. Political Action Committee
$10,000
Heart Place PAC
$10,000
Sargent, David
$10,000
Basin Ventures II LLC
$10,000
Austin, Dustin
$10,000
Patton Jr., Robert
$10,000
Campbell, Cody
$10,000
NextDecade Corporation Political Action Committee
$10,000
Pitcock Jr., James
$10,000
Pitcock Jr., James
$10,000
NRG Energy Inc. Political Action Committee
$10,000
University of Houston Political Action Committee
$10,000
Loveless, Gary
$10,000
HPCP Investments LLC
$10,000
Manners, Michael
$10,000
BU Growers LTD.
$10,000
Phillips, Bob
$10,000
Dekowski, Donovan
$10,000
Asel, John
$10,000
Guenther Jr., Jack
$10,000
Kahlig II, Clarence
$10,000
Quinones, Manuel
$10,000
Quinones, Manny
$10,000
Khan, Bilal
$10,000
Border Health PAC
$10,000
Bhadriraju, Padmini
$10,000
Pechero, Guillermo
$10,000
Falcon, Antonio
$10,000
Kanhere, Gauri
$10,000
Rios Jr., Jesus
$10,000
Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee
$10,000
Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee
$10,000
Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee
$10,000
Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee
