One of the leaders of a controversial, anti-LGBTQ group on Tuesday said Tony Buzbee met numerous times with Steven Hotze before the Republican power broker endorsed his mayoral campaign, contradicting comments Buzbee made at a televised debate the night before.

Buzbee and Hotze met three or four times, starting in late September, according to Jared Woodfill, who for years has worked directly with Hotze and his group, Campaign for Houston, including as its spokesman.

During the meetings, Woodfill said, Buzbee asked for the group to “support” his campaign but did not ask for its endorsement. Woodfill said he and Hotze did not see a distinction between the two.

Hotze ultimately chose to back Buzbee, penning a full-page letter of support in the Link Letter, a popular conservative newsletter. Asked during Monday’s debate if he shares Hotze’s anti-LGBTQ views, Buzbee said he only had met Hotze once at a church and does not agree with the views Hotze has espoused.

“I was surprised to receive that endorsement,” Buzbee said. “I’m not sure why I received it.”

The first meeting, Woodfill said, occurred in late September at Hotze’s home. Woodfill said a photo in the Link Letter showing Buzbee with his arm around Hotze’s shoulder was taken in Hotze’s study.

“It lasted about two hours,” Woodfill said. “I was there. I saw him there. ... It was a great time. (Hotze) was very impressed by him. He said all the right things.”

Campaign for Houston decided to endorse Buzbee’s campaign after three more meetings that Woodfill said amounted to roughly seven hours of face time. Woodfill said they believed Buzbee held similar positions on issues that Hotze has made a focal point of his political career, including Drag Queen Story Hour.

“His positions on the issues seemed to be very consistent with Dr. Hotze’s,” Woodfill said.

Woodfill said he discussed Buzbee’s comments with Hotze, who is traveling and could not be reached for comment Tuesday. He said it was “shocking and disappointing” to hear Buzbee’s claims that he had not sought support from Woodfill and Hotze.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Buzbee said that he had, in fact, met with Hotze before the church encounter. He pledged to “continue to remain nonpartisan” and said “I am not anti anyone.”

"From the beginning, I have made it clear that I am not seeking endorsements. And when someone chooses to endorse me, that does not mean that I endorse them or their views,” Buzbee said. “After Monday's debate, my staff reminded me that I had met Dr. Hotze before, not just at church. I have met with thousands of individuals during this campaign, on all sides of the political spectrum. I wish ill will on no one, and I certainly did not mean to offend anyone.”

Asked about Buzbee’s response, Woodfill said the millionaire lawyer spoke with Hotze on the phone “numerous times” and attended church with him after “he shared his personal story with Dr. Hotze and they developed a relationship.”

“I’m surprised that he has forgotten his meeting with Dr. Hotze, given that he has spent seven to eight hours with him,” Woodfill said.

Hotze’s support has drawn recent scrutiny from Buzbee’s opponents, including Bill King, Buzbee’s main rival for Republican support. King, who in 2015 sought to distance himself from Hotze after being included on Hotze’s endorsement slate, expressed skepticism Monday about Buzbee’s claims.

“All I can say is that there’s a really interesting picture of Tony and Dr. Hotze in a newsletter that came out, and it didn’t look like they were in church in that picture,” King said, referring to the photo that Woodfill said was taken in Hotze’s study.

Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has focused his attacks on Buzbee’s prior support for President Donald Trump, said Monday that Hotze’s endorsement is “consistent with (Buzbee) contributing over $700,000 to the president of the United States.”

“Either we stand against hate in our city, or we embrace it, and when you put your arms around someone like Steve Hotze, you are embracing hate and you are dividing our city,” Turner said.

Buzbee rebutted by calling Turner “an incredible disappointment” to Houston.

“Sylvester, it’s kind of interesting to me that you were in my house, and I raised you a lot of money during your last election cycle, and I had my arm around you and you had your arm around me,” Buzbee said. “Do you remember that? Or maybe you forgot that.”

“I’m not Steve Hotze,” Turner replied.

The mayor slammed Buzbee in a statement Tuesday evening.

“This tells you everything about Mr. Buzbee’s credibility and truthfulness,” Turner said. “He will lie and make things up in an instant.”

robert.downen@chron.com

jasper.scherer@chron.com