New York-based Democratic megadonor George Soros is continuing to flood Texas with money supporting left-wing political causes. According to campaign finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, Soros has donated $100,000 to the Cameron County Democratic Party since August. Soros contributed $50,000 to the Cameron County Democratic Party on August 3, 2023, followed by another $50,000 donation on October 10, 2023.
As previously reported by The Texas Voice, Soros recently donated $250,000 to the political wing of the far-left Texas Organizing Project (TOP). The Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) released a statement earlier this week calling on elected leaders to disavow TOP after it was reported that TOP had once bailed Shane James out of the Bexar County jail. Last week, James went on a shooting spree that killed six and injured three others.
“The Texas Organizing Project released a violent criminal onto the streets of San Antonio and Austin, where he murdered six innocent people and attempted to murder two police officers. All elected officials should immediately reject any political endorsements and contributions from this organization, disavow its dangerous practices, and re-contribute the money to the families of the murdered victims,” said Charley Wilkison, CLEAT’s executive director.
The Texas Organizing Project PAC spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the recent Houston municipal elections in support of Sheila Jackson Lee’s mayoral campaign and several other candidates for municipal offices. Jackson Lee was defeated by State Senator John Whitmire by nearly 30 percentage points in the December 9 runoff election. Whitmire, who serves as Chairman of the Criminal Justice committee in the Texas Senate and highlighted public safety in his campaign, was endorsed by several law enforcement organizations, including the Houston Police Officers’ Association.
Soros also contributed $1.5 million to Beto O’Rourke’s unsuccessful campaign for Governor against Greg Abbott last year.
The $100,000 donated by Soros to the Cameron County Democratic Party represents nearly 100% of the funds raised by the Party since August.
Cameron County, as well as other counties in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas, have received national attention in recent years due to an increasing Republican vote share in an area once viewed as solidly Democratic. Last year, Republican Mayra Flores won a special election for Congressional District 34, which includes all of Cameron County. Although Flores was defeated by Congressman Vicente Gonzalez in the general election later that year, Flores is seeking a rematch against Gonzalez. Flores, widely favored against four lesser-known opponents in the Republican Primary, was recently endorsed by new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In addition to Flores’ campaign for Congress, Cameron County will be home to several other key battleground races next year.
Republican State Representative Janie Lopez, who represents part of Cameron County and all of Willacy County, is seeking re-election and will face the winner of a competitive Democratic Primary, which attracted four candidates with prior experience in elected office. Republican businessman Adam Hinojosa is seeking a rematch against Democrat State Senator Morgan LaMantia in Senate District 27. LaManita won a narrow victory last year with 50.19 percent, with Hinojosa garnering 49.81 percent. Several Republicans are also running for county offices in Cameron County next year, including Republican Constable Norman Esquivel, Jr., who is seeking re-election.
Despite national attention, local Republican leaders in Cameron County are concerned about having the resources necessary to build party infrastructure and compete with Soros’ largesse.
“One of the challenges we face not just as the local party but also our local candidates, is resources being siphoned out of the area by candidates who have millions in their war chests (and can fundraise all over the state and country) who refuse to invest in the local party in any way. Local Republican donors in blue areas are romanced by access and the allure of federal and statewide campaigns, then often can’t understand why their local party isn’t growing. The same applies to those who refuse to help fundraise for their local parties,” said Morgan Cisneros Graham, Chairwoman of the Cameron County Republican Party.
“Oftentimes county chairs take on financial burden, as I have, to subsidize local parties.”
