Out-of-State Money Pours Into Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke’s Campaign

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's top donors were Texans

George Soros arrives to deliver a speech on the sideline of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 24, 2019. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Californians along with out-of-state donor George Soros have contributed heavily to Democrat Beto O'Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign to unseat Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Soros, a Hungarian-born businessman who has championed Democrats and their causes for decades, is known for backing progressive candidates. Many of the candidates he helped elect are considered far-left, such as George Gascon, who won the Los Angeles District Attorney race in 2020 but is facing a second recall effort for his soft-on-crime stance.

O'Rourke, who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 and the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, amassed $27.6 million in campaign contributions from late February through June. Abbott raised $24.9 million in the same period.

Abbott maintained $45.7 million cash-on-hand, well above O'Rourke’s $23.9 million.

In addition to Soros’ $1 million contribution, O'Rourke received $1 million each from Tench and Simone Coxe, an Austin, Texas, couple formerly of California. He is a venture capitalist, and she is co-founder of Blanc & Otus public relations.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke (L) interrupts a press conference held by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following a shooting the day before at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, on May 25, 2022. Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images

Texas campaign records show many of O'Rourke’s large donations came from out of state. He received a total of $500,000 from 28 California donors who gave $10,000 or more. Our Texas Pac of Colorado donated $500,000, and the American Federation of Teachers in Washington D.C. gave $300,000.

Meanwhile, many of Abbott’s campaign donations came from Texans. His top donor was S. Javaid Anwar, a Midland oilman and regular GOP contributor, who gave the governor’s campaign $750,000. Abbott appointed Anwar to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board twice.

Only one of Abbott’s top donors, Ed Roski, a California billionaire who contributed some $500,000, was out of state.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) displays the "Beto Truth Response Unit" in Houston, June 16, 2022. The ambulance will follow his Democratic opponent on the campaign trail. Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times

O‘Rourke began a seven-week campaign swing this week across the Lone Star State, where he is scheduled to make 70 stops. Abbott has vowed to follow O’Rourke’s campaign with an ambulance listing what the “real” candidate actually stands for, while launching ads against his oponent.

Abbott wasted no time seizing O'Rouke’s ties to the left with an ad titled: “Defend Texas from George Soros!”

Correction: A previous version of this article missed identifying Ed Roski as a top Abbott donor. The Epoch Times regrets the error.