PACs backed by George Soros and Beto O'Rourke footing bill of AWOL Texas Dems who fled redistricting vote
AUSTIN, TEXAS: A liberal billionaire and a failed Texas Democrat have reportedly joined hands to shell out big bucks to support a pack of Lone Star State lawmakers who’ve left town to block a GOP redistricting push.
According to The Texas Tribune, groups tied to mega-donor George Soros and Beto O’Rourke are picking up the tab for the Texas Democrats who fled the state rather than sit through a vote that could hand Republicans up to five new congressional seats.
The group of House Democrats, who bolted to bluer pastures like Illinois on Sunday, is dodging the Texas House quorum and racking up a $500 fine for every day they stay gone. However, they’re not sweating it much because Beto and his megadonor buddies have their backs.
O’Rourke’s Powered by People PAC and the Soros-funded Texas Majority PAC are footing a large chunk of the bill, per the Tribune.
Dem PAC provides private jets and hotel suites to
Once the Democratic lawmakers escaped the Lone Star State, Powered by People sprang into action. The group “has directed all donations towards supporting the effort,” The Texas Tribune reports.
They’re not just covering basic stuff. According to a source familiar with the operation, O’Rourke’s PAC has ponied up for everything from airfare and hotel rooms to meals, private flights, and "logistical support."
O’Rourke himself reportedly dialed up lawmakers ahead of their departure, encouraging them to persevere and derail the Republican-led redistricting plans.
Meanwhile, over at Texas Majority PAC, they're working the national donor circuit to keep the cash flowing. The group is backed by Soros and run by veterans of Beto’s 2022 flop gubernatorial bid. It is coordinating with other Democratic outfits to wrangle big money to fund the lawmakers’ extended absence.
The Texas Majority PAC reportedly spent more than $9 million in the 2024 cycle. Nearly two-thirds of that came straight from Soros, the Tribune notes.
Still, all that spending didn’t stop Texas from turning red once again. Kamala Harris lost the state to Donald Trump by nearly 14 points, and Ted Cruz swatted down Rep Colin Allred with an 8.5-point victory.
Hiding out in JB Pritzker’s backyard
Most of these absentee lawmakers have landed in Illinois, one of the most aggressively gerrymandered states in the country, where they’re basking in the protection of billionaire Dem Gov JB Pritzker.
Pritzker said Tuesday he hasn’t financially helped the Texans as yet. But he added that he’s “not reticent to do that.”
Back home, Republican Gov Greg Abbott isn’t amused. On Sunday, he fired off a warning letter to the absent Dems, reminding them that raising funds to pay their fines could run afoul of Texas House rules and possibly even bribery laws.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton didn’t wait around. By Wednesday, he had launched an investigation into Powered by People for what he called a “potentially operating an illegal financial influence scheme to bribe runaway Democrats.”
“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said. “Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation. These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it."
Beto O’Rourke goes all in once again
For his part, Beto’s not backing down. In a statement to The Texas Tribune, he said he would “have the backs of these heroic state lawmakers for as long as it takes to stop Trump’s power grab.”
A spokesperson for the Texas House Democratic Caucus spoke to the Tribune about the legality of all this fundraising and expense coverage. “Every dime of expense for this effort is being paid for lawfully," they said, albeit they declined to go into any further detail.
Back in 2021, Powered by People also backed a similar Democratic vanishing act. At the time, they raised a whopping $600,000 to help fund a flight to Washington, DC as lawmakers tried to block a Republican-backed election integrity bill.
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