A West Texas oil billionaire best known for bankrolling conservative causes back home has poured $5 million into a Michigan political action committee working to elect Republican Mike Rogers to the U.S. Senate. Tim Dunn gave the Great Lakes Conservative Fund two installments of $2.5 million each in April and June, money that made up more than 98% of the super PAC's total fundraising during the first half of 2025.
The figures come from the fund's mid-year report, filed July 31 with the Federal Election Commission, according to Michigan Advance. At the time of that report, Rogers was the only Republican seeking the party's nomination for the seat, and he had not publicly spoken about Dunn's involvement in the race; his campaign did not respond to the outlet's request for comment. Rogers is now competing against progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in what the San Antonio Current describes as a heated contest, with El-Sayed leading in the latest polls.
Dunn, who co-founded Midland oil and gas company CrownQuest Operating, is a familiar name in Texas political finance. Since 2000, he and his wife have given more than $29 million to candidates and political action committees in the state, per ProPublica. More than two dozen Texas statehouse candidates backed by Dunn and fellow billionaire Farris Wilks won their spring primaries, the same outlet reported.
A Widening Footprint Beyond Texas
The Michigan contribution marks Dunn's first apparent foray into Midwest politics, and it is not an isolated move. Since January 2025, he has given nearly $11.5 million to support right-wing U.S. Senate candidates and other political efforts nationally, according to Texas Monthly, which reported that his money has also flowed to Senate candidates in Kentucky and Wyoming.
Back home, Dunn has given more than $11 million to Texas Republican PACs this election cycle, with most of that money directed to Texans for a Conservative Majority, according to campaign finance reports. He has also spent more than $30 million backing Texas Republicans over the years and contributed $5 million in December 2023 to Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC supporting President Donald Trump in the 2024 election season.
Austin-area state representative and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico has accused Dunn and Wilks of trying to buy control over Texas state government, saying the two billionaires had bought multiple Texas offices and were working to buy the Texas House. In Texas's own Senate primary, a New York Times/Siena poll showed Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton by seven points, while a group called Jefferson Rising spent $110,000 on text messages opposing Talarico.
How the Money Stacks Up in Michigan
The Great Lakes Conservative Fund is not new to Rogers's campaigns. The PAC spent more than $21 million backing his unsuccessful 2024 Senate run, the Detroit News reported, as cited by Michigan Advance. The Federal Election Commission's own committee page notes that independent-expenditure spending reflects money a committee spends for or against a candidate without being given to or spent by that candidate directly.
On the candidates' own ledgers, Rogers raised $3.41 million in 2025, though only $1.87 million came from direct contributions, according to News From The States. He spent $966,938 in the first two quarters of the year and had $2.7 million cash on hand. El-Sayed, by comparison, raised $3.57 million up until October, with $3.56 million of that coming directly from contributors, and spent $1.72 million up until October — the least of the three Democratic candidates the outlet examined.
Democrat Haley Stevens, who also sought the nomination, raised $4.72 million between April and October, a total that included a $1.53 million transfer from her congressional committee. Stevens ultimately endorsed Rogers in a video, a notable turn given that she had previously described him as a nightmare and a rubber stamp for Trump's agenda.
Where the Race Stands
Polling snapshots diverge in their margins even as they agree on the frontrunner. A New York Times/Siena poll from Sunday showed El-Sayed leading by 11 points, and the Cook Political Report has rated the Michigan Senate contest Lean Democratic. Dunn's millions have not changed the fundamentals of a race where Rogers remains the underdog on paper, even with a super PAC largely funded by a single out-of-state donor working on his behalf.
In Texas, Dunn's giving extends into down-ballot contests as well. The Texas Freedom Fund for the Advancement of Justice gave Bo French $225,000 and spent another $150,000 promoting his candidacy for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission in a conservative newsletter, according to The Texas Tribune. Whether Dunn expands his reach into additional out-of-state races remains to be seen, but his Michigan investment shows a Texas megadonor is now willing to write checks far outside his home state's borders.
