Big Bucks, part II

The $3 million man: Houston attorney among top 5 contributors to Obama campaign

Though President Obama is not expected to carry Texas, he has a strong donorbase in the Lone Star state.
Knowledge Creates Power
Steve Mostyn and his wife, Amber Anderson Mostyn, are among the nation's topcontributors to President Obama's re-election campaign and Democratic causes.
Photo by Gary Fountain
John Eddie Williams, pictured here with wife Sheridan, has given money tocandidates of both parties. He gave $450,000 to President Obama's super PAC and$75,000 to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's failed Senate bid.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

While Texas isn't a battleground state, Republicans aren't the only ones contributing big bucks to their presidential favorite.

Houston attorney Steve Mostyn, 41, has given millions to Priorities USA, the super political action committee that's helping fund the campaign of President Obama. The Associated Press ranks Mostyn, the head of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, as the fifth biggest contributor to the Obama campaign through September of this year, with $2.003 million.

Mostyn told NBC News he donated an additional $1 million to Priorities USA Action last week after watching the second presidential debate. "I need to see some fight," he said.

Mostyn told NBC News he donated an additional $1 million to Priorities USA Action last week after watching the second presidential debate. "I need to see some fight," he said of the president's performance, adding he hoped that the money would go for ads hammering Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney over his Bain Capital past.

Mostyn did not immediately return a call to CultureMap for comment as to whether he planned to donate more to the Obama campaign after watching Monday night's third debate.

Mostyn, a personal injury lawyer who negotiated settlements for property owners affected by Hurricane Ike in claims against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, was a major contributor to former Houston Mayor Bill White's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. White was defeated by Gov. Rick Perry.

According to OpenSecrets.org, Moystn's wife, Amber Anderson Mostyn, donated $1 million this year to House Majority PAC, which is seeking a Democratic Party majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and $200,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes, a PAC that supports pro-choice candidates.

Also on the OpenSecrets list of top donors to outside spending groups is Houston attorney John Eddie Williams, who donated $450,000 to Priorities USA, $100,000 to House Majority PAC, $200,000 to Majority PAC, a super PAC aiming to keep the U.S. Senate under Democratic Party control, and $10,000 to End the Gridlock.

Williams also reached across the political divide and donated $75,000 to the Texas Conservative Fund, the PAC that supported Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a Republican, in his failed bid for the U.S. Senate.

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See which Houstonians donated the most to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, beginning with a French cafe's upcoming U.S. debut. Plus, inside the hottest new bar in the Heights. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide for festive weekend fun.

1. French pastry chef perks up Houston with first U.S. coffee shop and café. A French coffee shop and cafe is coming to Houston. Pastry chef Jean-François Feuillette will open the first U.S. location of Café Feuillette in River Oaks District next year.

2. New Houston cocktail bar serves up a house party fueled by music and martinis. It hasn’t taken long for Houston cocktail fans to discover Donna’s. Since it opened Thanksgiving weekend, the new cocktail bar in the Heights has been packed with people eager to check out the project from Anvil owner Bobby Heugel and veteran Houston bartender Jacki Schromm.

3. New York Times critic awards Houston restaurant 2 stars in glowing review. Let’s just call 2025 the year of ChòpnBlọk. In a review published December 16, the New York Times awarded the Houston restaurant two stars (“very good”).

4. Family-friendly Houston restaurant picks Missouri City for 6th location. A family-friendly Houston restaurant will soon open its sixth location. Local Table is expected to open in Missouri City in January.

Coming soon to Missouri City. houston.culturemap.com

5. Food experts draft the best dishes at Vietnamese restaurants in Houston. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” CultureMap editor Eric Sandler recruited five of his friends and colleagues to select their favorite dishes at Vietnamese restaurants in Houston via a fantasy football-style draft.