Beto O’Rourke’s political group is a top funder for Texas Democrats’ exodus to block GOP congressional map

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WASHINGTON — Powered by People, a Democratic political group started by former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, has emerged as a top funder covering the costs of Texas lawmakers’ out-of-state decampment to thwart a new GOP-proposed congressional map, according to two people involved with the fundraising efforts.

The expenses are mounting fast for the more than 50 Democrats in the Texas House who left the state Sunday to prevent the Republican-controlled chamber from having enough members to conduct business. Most lawmakers traveled to the Chicago area by way of a private plane from CommuteAir. They are now on the hook for lodging, meals and the $500-a-day fines they will each accrue for every day of the special session they miss.

National Democratic organizations have been eager to pick up the tab for what they see as a last-ditch effort to stop a nationwide redistricting war that threatens to upend the 2026 midterms. O’Rourke’s organization, armed with a $3.5 million war chest, has covered much of the costs so far — including air transport, lodging and logistical support, a person involved with the fundraising said — though other groups have been in the mix.

Texas Majority PAC, a group backed by Democratic megadonor George Soros and formed by alums of O’Rourke’s 2022 gubernatorial bid, is coordinating with national Democratic groups to solicit fundraising from the party’s regular big-dollar donors, according to two people with knowledge of the internal dynamics.

The sources, each of whom were granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations that could have legal implications, declined to say which big-dollar donors were being courted or how much money Powered by People had contributed to the quorum-busting effort.

Gov. Greg Abbott has warned that members could face felony charges for fundraising to cover their fines, which cannot be paid “from funds accepted as political contributions,” according to Texas House rules adopted by Republicans in 2023 after a prior Democratic quorum break. In a letter sent to absent Democrats Sunday, Abbott alleged that lawmakers who are “soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules” may be violating bribery laws, adding that anyone who donates to the cause could also be liable.

Sen. John Cornyn also asked for the FBI’s assistance in locating “the out-of-state Texas legislators who are potentially acting in violation of the law” in a Tuesday letter, citing potential bribery charges.

Democratic lawmakers have openly questioned whether the $500 daily fines are allowed. Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat among the contingent stationed in Illinois, called the levies “unconstitutional” and an excessive punishment for participating in a quorum break that “gives us the chance to best defend and represent our constituents.”

Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston, brushed off Abbott’s threat, saying Democrats were “using the tools at our disposal, which is a quorum break, to fight and advocate for our communities.”

A spokesperson for the Texas House Democratic Caucus said, "Every dime of expense for this effort is being paid for lawfully," but declined to provide further details.

In a statement, O’Rourke promised to “have the backs of these heroic state lawmakers for as long as it takes to stop Trump’s power grab,” referring to the proposed new congressional map, drawn at the direction of President Donald Trump, that could net five additional seats for Republicans in Texas in the 2026 midterms.

When news first broke in early June that Republican lawmakers were meeting to discuss a White House-backed redistricting effort, Powered by People set aside an unspecified sum in preparation for another effort to break quorum, referring to the 100-member threshold needed to take up legislation in the House.

O’Rourke’s group also helped finance Democratic lawmakers’ 2021 departure to Washington in what amounted to an unsuccessful attempt to stop a GOP overhaul of Texas’ election laws. O’Rourke was front-and-center in that saga, raising $600,000, The Texas Tribune previously reported.

The former El Paso congressman turned statewide Democratic contender has also been working the phones for the past few weeks asking Texas lawmakers to leave the state to block the break quorum, according to a person with knowledge of these discussions. Since Democrats’ departure, Powered by People has been funneling 100% of its donations toward supporting the quorum break.

It was not immediately clear how long the Democrats would remain on the lam. A total of 57 Democrats were absent when the House gaveled in Monday afternoon, enough to prevent the 150-member chamber from establishing a quorum.

The leaders of Texas Majority PAC — one of the state’s most prolific Democratic funders — have not publicly revealed any plans for the group to contribute. The PAC spent more than $9 million during the 2024 election cycle — some two-thirds of which came from Soros — with most of funds directed to county Democratic Parties and local voter turnout efforts.

Other Democratic groups pledged financial support.

“We’re going to do everything we can to help resource this,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said at a Tuesday news conference in Illinois with some Texas Democrats. “It’s time that the Democratic Party and all people who care about democracy support them in these efforts.”

Texas Democrats in Congress also sent a letter on July 16 to the House Ethics Committee asking permission to fundraise on behalf of the Texas Justice Fund, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Tribune. Contributions to the fund — which is affiliated with the Lone Star Project, a Texas Democratic group — would primarily be allocated to the quorum break effort, according to a person familiar with the arrangements.

They have yet to receive permission from the committee.

Democrats were preparing for this possibility before the quorum break began. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, and other national Democrats were pitching receptive big-dollar Democratic donors on investing in the quorum break, The Texas Tribune previously reported. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who raised an eye-popping $3 million from April to June, also pledged her financial support.

“Whatever I'm allowed to do within the letter of the law, I am absolutely going to do it,” Crockett said, calling the defecting lawmakers “American heroes.”

The Texas House Democratic Caucus also launched a website, dubbed “rigged redistricting,” encouraging visitors to donate to their crusade. Kendall Scudder, chair of the Texas Democratic Party Chair, also said the state party is helping to fund the quorum break.

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