Austin-Area Top Republican Presidential Campaign Contributors

AUSTIN, TX -- If one were to predict who wins tomorrow’s Super Tuesday primary in Texas using individual political donations as a barometer, Ted Cruz wins -- hands down.

That should come as no surprise. After all, he is the sole candidate to run for the nation’s highest office who hails from the Lone Star State. But even then, his campaign haul among individuals is impressive -- $15 .5 million versus $28.2 million for all candidates combined.

A look at Federal Election Commission data on contributions among donors in the outlying cities surrounding Austin -- Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander and Pflugerville -- yields an even more intriguing picture as it relates to where loyalties lie, at least as expressed by the wallet.

Given its greater size and population, Austin proper is the source for most of the big-time political donations. But there’s still considerable financial gains to candidates’ coffers to be found in the outlying cities.

One eye-opening piece of data among the FEC tallies: Despite his populist popularity, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has managed to secure just over $211,500 in the entire state -- a measly figure when one sees the millions collected by other leading candidates from the electorate.

The statewide breakdown, excluding Cruz’s $15.5 million received statewide:

Jeb Bush got $3.7 million from among those hoping to continue the Bush dynasty, although the candidate has since dropped out of the race;

Ben Carson is next, with $2.8 million;

Marco Rubio trails closely behind the surgeon-turned-politician, with $2.3 million collected.

In the outlying cities, Cruz also bests his rivals.

Two baseball figures -- Ryan Reese, CEO of the Round Rock Express minor-league baseball team and retired ball player Nolan Ryan are both going to bat for Cruz. Reese and his wife gave a collective $5,400 to the Cruz campaign -- the maximum allowed under federal law. Nolan Ryan pitched in another $1,000 to fund the Texas senator’s campaign.

Other big donors for the region include:

• Stephanie Coleman, a Cedar Park homemaker, donating $2,700 (the limit for an individual);
• Also in Cedar Park, nanny Tamara Kazda gave the same maximum amount;
• In Round Rock, retiree Chaz Glace contributed $1,000;
• Another $1,000 contribution came from Scott Staggers, a self-employed retailer in Cedar Park.
• Round Rock anesthesiologist David Craig was good for a grand as well.
• In Cedar Park, real estate practitioner Preston Carlton gave $800 toward Cruz’s efforts.

Those contributions are the biggest in the area surrounding Austin. No substantive donations from Pflugerville and Leander are listed for Cruz.

The biggest donation Carson could muster in the cities surrounding Austin proper was $1,000 from retired baseball great Nolan Ryan. From there, listed contributions are less than that:

• William Mason, a Round Rock executive, gave $500 to Carson’s campaign;
• Also in Round Rock, Stephen Haas of Actpipe and Supply gave th same amount.
• Clint Forester, an electrical technician for Seadrill in Round Rock, gave $330;
• Round continued the trend of “big” donors, with mortgage banker Josh Penland and firefighter Todd Price each giving $250.

Those are the biggest donations in the tne entire region for Carson.

Rubio also failed to secure the big bucks -- $2,700 for an individual or $5,400 for a husband-and-wife give. His biggest contributions for the region were:

A $500 donation from Cedar Park public school employee Stephen Schumann;

Another for $250 from Round Rock restaurant employee Michael Forman, who’s also listed as making a separate $100 donation;

From Cedar Park came a $250 check from Daniel Craig, not the actor but listed as being affiliated with the American Heart Association.

Also in Cedar Park, Antony Harvey of Thermo Fisher Scientific sent $50.

Donations descend in size from that point.

Arguably the most eyebrow raising piece of data to come from the dry listing is Trump’s poor showing in the Austin region. The biggest donation from the area came from Shawn Toops of Leander, a manager with a company called Flame Technologies Inc., who opened his wallet to give Trump $250 to help grease the wheels of his campaign.

Despite Trump’s seeming popularity elsewhere, Trump may not be as popular in these parts -- at least if one is to judge strictly from the amount people are willing to send the billionaire.

Then again, in fairness, perhaps knowing he’s self-funding his campaign through his considerable wealth, maybe individual supporters will voice their endorsement not with money but with their ballots.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Super Tuesday.