Tim Dunn Loyalists In The 89th Texas Legislature

Bought and Paid For: The politicians answering to Tim Dunn, not Texans.

Tim Dunn is an oil billionaire from West Texas who has a sick interpretation of what society and government should be. He practices and believes in the Seven Mountains Mandate, which states that Christianity should control government, media, education, and business. In Texas, for Texas Republicans, taking Tim Dunn’s money means you enact anything that Tim Dunn wishes.

If you haven’t already seen the CNN documentary about Tim Dunn and Ferris Wilkes, Deep In The Pockets of Texas, it’s well worth the watch:

Tim Dunn has his thumb on 26 Texas House members, six Texas Senators, and the Lt. Governor this election cycle—which may be the most power he’s had in the Texas Legislature to date. But let’s be clear. These Republicans he’s financed are entirely beholden to him and his agenda—not their constituents, not the people of Texas, but to Tim Dunn alone.

Based on Tim Dunn’s priorities, much of which overlaps with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which he finances, and with Project 2025, we know what Tim Dunn loyalists’ policy agenda will be in the 89th Legislature:

• An end to equal employment and a ban on state discrimination laws.

• An implementation of a Christian curriculum in public schools.

• School vouchers—which will segregate wealthy white students into private schools.

• A ban on transgender people in all forms of public life.

• Minority-rule politics.

• Further criminalization of the working poor and unhoused individuals.

• A Show Me Your Papers law.

• Censorship of civil rights.

• An erasement of American history.

• No fault divorces.

• Removal of all social safety nets.

• Militarization of Black and brown communities.

• Militarization of the border.

• Expansion of the school-to-prison pipeline.

• An end to IVF.

• An end to birth control.

• Forcing white women to have more babies.

• Firearms in the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.

• A return to sodomy laws.

• An end to clean energy.

Tim Dunn and his loyalists prioritize these issues, and they will likely push these bills in the 89th Texas Legislature.

Who are the loyalists—and how much did they sell their souls to Tim Dunn for?

In the Texas House, because there are so many incoming Republican freshmen under Tim Dunn’s control, very few returning members have long been loyalists.

The “Feckless Four,” otherwise known as Representative Tony Tinderholt (R-HD94), Steven Toth (R-HD15), Brian Harrison (R-HD10), and Nate Schatzline (R-HD93)—all pictured above—are returning cast members in Dunn’s clown circus. However, although she is a returning member, Caroline Harris-Davila has newly sold her integrity for Dunn’s money. Here is the money each one took.

There are a few new Republican House members, which we’ve already discussed here at Lone Star Left. It’s worth revisiting these articles if you want to know more about them:

• Helen Kerwin: Fascist Granny For The Texas House

• Janis Holt: Peddling Lies And Conspiracy On Her Way to the Texas House

These new Republican women, Helen Kerwin (HD58) and Janis Holt (HD18) took Dunn’s money to do whatever he wanted in office.

Here are the new House Reps who pulled in the most Dunn money:

David Lowe (HD91): Here is David Lowe at his local polling place on election day:

David Lowe once told ex-House Rep. Jonathan Stickland to “stay locked and loaded” about me when I attempted to ask Stickland’s gay sister how she felt about her brother using genocidal language toward the LGBTQ community.

Lowe is a huge proponent of the Abolish Abortion movement, which wants to ban IVF and birth control and give the death penalty to women who have abortion care, even if they are minors, even if they are rape survivors.

Interestingly, he’s the biggest recipient of Dunn’s money in the Texas House.

Katrina Pierson (HD33): Pierson was the 2016 spokesperson for the Donald Trump campaign and moved to Texas only weeks before filing to run for the Texas House. No, she did not meet the residency requirements, but who will stop her?

On January 6, Pierson was a liaison between the White House and organizers at Donald Trump’s “Save America” rally on the Ellipse, preceding the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Pierson will be the second January 6th Insurrectionist to serve in the Texas House. The first was Kyle Biedermann, who is now retired.

Brent Money (HD02): Yes, that’s his real name. Money is also a strong advocate of the Abolish Abortion movement and plans to spend his time in the House banning IVF and birth control for women. Money is being sworn into the seat once held by date rapist Bryan Slaton.

According to Money’s website, his priorities are also guns for everyone, an erasement of Black and Indigenous history, and defunding public schools.

Marc Lahood (HD121): While Lahood was given over $200K from the far-right Tim Dunn to implement Christian Nationalism in Texas life, most of his donations came from Greg Abbott in exchange for a “yes” vote on vouchers.

From Lahood’s website:

He doesn’t mean “our” values and culture. He means the values and culture of Christian Nationalism. Lahood is staunchly anti-LGBTQ, anti-women’s rights, and anti-immigration. He even calls for “border security” to be “handled by the state.”

AJ Louderback (HD30): Louderback was Trump’s southwest border policy advisor and a five-term Sheriff of Jackson County (population 15K—and a two-hour drive from the border).

From Louderback’s priorities on his website:

The other new House Reps on Tim Dunn’s payroll who signed the Abolish Abortion pledge:

These are the Republicans who want to end access to birth control for women and teens across Texas. They have pledged to give rape survivors the death penalty if they receive abortion care.

Mitch Little (HD65): Little was Ken Paxton’s impeachment attorney. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he believes politicians are above the law. Still, he does believe that criminal politicians deserve representation—and when Paxton got off, he decided to become one.

Matthew Morgan (HD26): Morgan claims his family came to Texas with Stephen F. Austin’s original 300. Now, if you know anything about Texas history and what European settlers did in their first 50 years of colonizing Texas, you would know it’s probably nothing to brag about—I can’t wait to do a deep dive into his family history; I bet there’s something dark lurking there.

Wesley Virdell (HD53): Virdell’s personality is about people killing weapons. He sleeps with his guns, wears firearms around the House, and even names his dogs Colt and Ruger. It’s rumored that if you try to talk to Virdell about anything other than firearms, he’ll get a glazed-over look and zone out of the conversation.

Shelly Luther (HD62): The third time is a charm for Luther, as this is her third time running for office and her first time winning. Luther had a stroke about a year or two ago and received brain damage from her tragedy. It’s unclear if she will have enough faculties to do her job effectively, but her husband will be close behind the scenes to help her along.

Keresa Richardson (HD61): Like Helen Kerwin and Janis Holt, I’ll be doing a complete expose of Richardson soon because if you made a list and titled it, “What priorities would a person have that would make them completely incompatible for public office,” Richardson would check every single box. Aside from Abolish Abortion, she hates people of color, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and poor people. Nothing good will come from her term in office.

The other Texas House Republicans on Tim Dunn’s payroll:

Over the next year, we’ll know all these House Republicans and how their oaths to Tim Dunn play out in the Texas House.

This election cycle is the first in which Ben Bumgarner and Janie Lopez took Tim Dunn’s money even though they’re both returning members, which means they likely will move right in this legislative session.

Janie Lopez has been among the Republican Outcast Women, unallowed in the Gilead Wives Club ranks. You’ll have to guess why.

Here is the Gilead Wives Club:

We should probably expect to see Denise Villalobos join Republican Outcast Women, as they typically do not allow Republican women of color among their ranks. On the other hand, Caroline Fairly and Hillary Hickland will probably soon become more of Valoree Swanson’s minions.

As I said yesterday, some Republicans will likely be in overlapping groups. Fairly and Hickland may belong to the Tim Dunn loyalists and the Gilead Wives Club, but that remains to be seen. We’ll discuss more about the Republican House women soon because they are like a soap opera, and there is much to discuss.

Alan Schoolcraft was a Texas House Republican in the 1980s, and now he is again, 30 years later. He’s 72 years old. There is no ageism. But it’ll be interesting to see how he handles himself this coming session, as the last time he was in the Texas House, Republicans were a completely different breed.

Michael Olcott is a Parker County millionaire who has deep ties with the Sons of Confederate Veterans and domestic terrorist groups like Oath Keepers and 3%ers. Since Olcott has been some of the main opposition against Parker County Progressives, who are friends of mine, I’ll have all the dirt on him out in the open soon.

Don McLaughlin is the piece of shit who called Beto a “sick son of a bitch” in the wake of the Uvalde shooting. He was the mayor of Uvalde when the Robb Elementry Massacre happened and hasn’t been an ally to the families. But he’s headed to the Texas House.

It’s clear that the Texas House will be more polarized and extreme than ever, with Tim Dunn’s loyalists pushing a radical agenda under the guise of “Christian values” and supposed Texas tradition.

These lawmakers bought and paid for, are not there to serve their constituents but to implement a vision shaped by an unelected oil billionaire with disturbing goals. Tim Dunn’s influence has fostered a wave of ultraconservative Republicans who prioritize religious nationalism, dismantling rights, and punishing the most vulnerable Texans.

The threat to democracy in Texas is not hypothetical; it is here and embedded in the very fabric of our state legislature. Texans must remain vigilant, informed, and active. We cannot allow these individuals to strip away our rights, rewrite history, and impose a dystopian vision on us. It’s up to all of us—Texans who believe in equality, justice, and true freedom—to hold these legislators accountable, to push back on this dangerous agenda, and to fight for a Texas that serves all its people, not just the interests of a privileged few.

• November 12: Legislators can start filing bills for the 89th Session.

• December 9: House Administration Committee meets to debate rules.

• January 14: The 89th Legislative Session begins.

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

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