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#Husband-and-wife lawyers open wallets to help White - Houston Chronicle

Houston couple dig deep to oust GOP

Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell, Austin American-Statesman

Steve Mostyn's law firm is the lone donor to a group.

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Amber Anderson and husband Steve Mostyn, of the Mostyn Law Firm, plan to spend millions in Democratic races.

AUSTIN — A Houston husband-and-wife lawyer team is planning to donate more than $3 million this year toward knocking Republican Gov. Rick Perry out of office and helping Democrats win control of the Texas House .

Attorney Steve Mostyn said Tuesday he and his wife, Amber Anderson. are committed to putting a "substantial" amount of money that likely will exceed $3 million into ending hard-right Republican politics in Texas government.

The pair already has put $1.3 million into committees that can help Democrat and former Houston Mayor Bill White win the governor's office, making them far and away his biggest benefactors in this race.

"My gut seems to be dictating this instead of my head," Mostyn said. "If my head was dictating it, I'd probably put the money into a trust fund for my kids."

Governor's big donor

The couple's largesse and manner of giving is rapidly turning them into a Democratic version of Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, a frequent and substantial donor to Republican and conservative candidates and causes.

In 2006, Bob Perry flowed $1 million into Gov. Perry's campaign through the Republican Governor's Association. In 2004, Perry helped President George W. Bush win re-election with $4.4 million in independent expenditures for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads attacking Democratic nominee John Kerry .

Through the current election cycle, Perry has out-raised White. He has taken in $20 million for his re-election, while White has gathered $16.6 million.

Expenditures by a political action committee heavily financed by Mostyn have an added benefit of $1.1 million for White.

'This state is in trouble'

Mostyn said he and his wife believe that for too long a Republican message has been financed across Texas without an adequately funded response from Democrats.

"If you let one message go out long enough, everyone starts to assume it's true," he said. "I love this state, but this state is in trouble right now."

Their firm last year demanded $86 million in legal fees for representing homeowners and businesses damaged by Hurricane Ike in claims against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. a quasi-state agency that serves as the state's insurer of last resort. TWIA Manager Jim Oliver said the Mostyn payout was less than the original demand as most of the claims reached negotiated settlements.

Mostyn, president-elect of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. last month gave $400,000 to the Democratic Governor's Association just days before the group donated $500,000 to White's campaign.

Mostyn directly gave $25,000 to White's campaign as an in-kind payment for research. Anderson donated $100,000. Mostyn said he did not know White until he started running for governor.

The donation to the Democratic Governor's Association was intended to send a signal to large donors around America that Texans are taking the governor's race seriously, he said. For too long, he said, the national Democratic Party has been willing to take money out of Texas without spending any in the state.

"Unfortunately, that leaves no money here to get the other side of the story out," Mostyn said. "I've been working with some of the national Democratic groups to get money back into the state."

The Mostyn law firm was almost the sole donor last month to the newly formed Back to Basics PAC, giving more than $300,000 for television commercials accusing Perry of extravagant living in a rental home while the governor's mansion is being restored after an arson fire. The only other donation was the Communications Workers of America 's $200, according to a finance report of contributions through June 30.

Recounting HPV order

The PAC on Tuesday launched a new $850,000 commercial with a heavy emphasis on the Dallas market, but the spot also will run in Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Midland. Mostyn said he put up $500,000 toward the ad and is willing to fund others on education issues.

The new commercial criticizes Perry for his 2007 executive order mandating teenage girls be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted HPV virus. The commercial says the order was motivated by donations to Perry's campaign from the vaccine manufacturer Merck and the fact the company paid his former chief of staff more than $200,000 to lobby for it. The Legislature overturned Perry's order.

Mostyn said the ads help White, but they also help Democrats running for state House seats.

"You look where we're running these ads. it's heavy where we have some state races," Mostyn said.

Interest in education

He said he plans to donate directly to down-ballot candidates.

Mostyn said he is upset over issues such as property taxes and the state business tax, as well as insurance and electric rates. But he said the most harm comes from Republicans wanting to cut spending on public and higher education and the State Board of Education efforts to rewrite state curricula to match a political agenda.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner criticized the Democrats for Mostyn's money flowing through secondary committees instead of straight into White's campaign, but added, "It should be no surprise that a trial lawyer is supporting a trial lawyer."

Mostyn said he believes White can defeat Perry, but only with a lot of help.

"Perry's got an anti-incumbent headwind he's going to have to deal with," he said. "We'll see what other people do. Bill's got to have help, and other statewide money has to come in at a large level."