I got a card in the mail yesterday:
It claims to be from the “Association of Texas Conservatives,” an organization (and I use that term loosely) I’d never heard of before, endorsing John Cornyn in the Texas Senate runoff.
Not really making any sort of argument in favor of Cornyn, just a checkmark, a name, and a picture. Nothing remotely compelling.
It made me curious.
Doing a search on the address of “1305 West 11th Street #217, Houston, TX, 77008” brought a strip mail mailbox center. But it also brought up the FEC form for Association of Texas Conservatives, which shows the Treasurer for the organization as one Les Williamson.
That name and contact info are also on the FEC form for Old North Action, a PAC supporting Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, being run out of the exact same postal box.
That address and Williamson’s name also show up on the FEC for “Protect our Family Values Action.” Clearly Mr. Williamson is wearing a lot of hats.
Williamson evidently runs Strategic Victory Solutions, a political consulting firm. He seems to have previously been “a former staffer for the National Republican Senatorial Committee who also worked for a Mitch McConnell political action committee.”
Since he announced his retirement after this election and stepped down from his role as Majority Leader, it’s easy to forget that McConnell is still in the senate and will be until the 120th congress is sworn in January 3, 2027, a mere 42 years since McConnell entered the senate.
Is Williamson running “Association of Texas Conservatives” on behalf of McConnell or a McConnell-related PAC? I have been unable to find any definitive proof of this, and its certainly possible someone else, including someone directly connected to Cornyn, is paying for Williamson to stand up that organization. Still, Cornyn is just the sort of squishy establishment Republican McConnell loves to back, so it seems a distinct possibility.
I sent Williamson an email asking him is paying for “Association of Texas Conservatives,” but thus far have received no reply. I’ll let you know if I do…
Tags: 2026 Election, 2026 Texas Senate Race, Association of Texas Conservatives, John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, Les Williamson, Mitch McConnell, NRSC, PAC, Republicans, Strategic Victory Solutions, Texas
“[Williamson ‘s] name and contact info are also on the FEC form for Old North Action, a PAC supporting Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, being run out of the exact same postal box…and runs Strategic Victory Solutions, a political consulting firm. He seems to have previously been ‘a former staffer for the National Republican Senatorial Committee who also worked for a Mitch McConnell political action committee.'”
John Cornyn comfortably aligns with Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell but calls himself a conservative. Who does he think he’s fooling?
Pop up expenditure committees are registered with the FEC at the last minute so they do not have to report their contributors until well after the election.
The Association of Texas Conservatives won’t have to file their quarterly until July 15 and they will eat the fine for missing their 12 day pre-election report.
These pop up committees were the invention of Eric Doster, a Michigan political fixer.
McConnell loved Cornyn.
Thune is Mitch’s hand picked replacement and he loves Cornyn.
They are all three go-along to get-along RINOs.
Paxton would be a giant thorn in Thune’s side.
That, alone, is reason enough to support Paxton.
Not to mention the fact that he gave Biden a gun control victory.
Bye. Bye. John.
Thank you for your detective work! The good-ole’-boys club protecting the good-ole’-boys club.
Data Republican’s money tracking software might show some results.