Failed Democrat presidential candidate Robert Francis O’Rourke is aggressively campaigning for state-level candidates for the Texas legislature in traditionally safe Republican counties and is partnering with radical anti-freedom groups to help promote his agenda.
Top Republican sources in Texas tell The Daily Wire that they are concerned about O’Rourke’s efforts because they say that Republican voters in districts where there are special elections are not energized because they feel like their districts are safe from being flipped.
The sources said that the districts are in play and that Democrats only need to pick up a few seats and they will be able to flip the Texas House, which could reverberate throughout the state for decades as the moment that turned Texas blue.
O’Rourke is campaigning for left-wing candidate Eliz Markowitz, whose Second Amendment views align closely with O’Rourke’s extremist views.
O’Rourke’s presidential campaign fizzled after her revealed his extreme anti-Second Amendment views, which included confiscating legally owned firearms from law-abiding citizens. O’Rourke declared his radical view after he told Texans the year before in his failed Senate bid that if they owned AR-15s and they used it responsibly, they should be able to keep their firearms.
O’Rourke and Markowitz have met and are engaged with Democrat presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg’s Mom’s Demand Action anti-freedom group, which exists to fight against the Second Amendment.
GOP sources told The Daily Wire they are concerned that O’Rourke and Moms Demand Action, which both have fringe views that are not in line with many Texans, were teaming up to try to flip a red seat while running on an anti-Second Amendment agenda.
O’Rourke tweeted, “With the amazing @MomsDemand and Women’s Center leadership in Fort Bend county. We discussed the connection between domestic violence and gun violence and the need to have courageous common sense leadership in the state house — @ElizMarkowitz”
With the amazing @MomsDemand and Women’s Center leadership in Fort Bend county. We discussed the connection between domestic violence and gun violence and the need to have courageous common sense leadership in the state house — @ElizMarkowitz pic.twitter.com/b1p5a32Sss
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) December 17, 2019
O’Rourke has used his massive Twitter account, which has 1.6 million followers, to aggressively promote Markowitz and to solicit donations for her.
“Last year 17 TX State House Republicans won their election by less than 10 points. We can flip these seats by reaching un-registered Democrats. Your donation will be used to send them pre-filled voter registration forms w/ stamped return envelope,” O’Rourke wrote in a tweet late last year. “We win nine seats in the TX legislature, Dems will have a majority. That means an end to racist gerrymandering, a chance to address gun violence, reproductive rights, Medicaid expansion, & climate change in Texas. Will be positive for Congressional & Presidential races as well.”
Knocking doors with @ElizMarkowitz who is running to serve Fort Bend in the Texas House. She’s going to be a strong voice & vote on education, gun violence, healthcare and climate. #txlege pic.twitter.com/ZAuozleycx
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) December 16, 2019
Texas Tribune political correspondent Patrick Svitek reported on Wednesday that the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee was funneling well over an additional hundred thousand dollars into the race to push Markowitz over the edge.
Svitek wrote: “@DLCC announces it’s putting another $125K into #HD28 for @ElizMarkowitz , bringing its total investment there to $195K. The latest spend ‘will support a broadcast TV buy for the final days of the campaign.'”
.@DLCC announces it’s putting another $125K into #HD28 for @ElizMarkowitz, bringing its total investment there to $195K. The latest spend “will support a broadcast TV buy for the final days of the campaign.” #txlege
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) January 22, 2020
Markowitz is such a fringe candidate that Elizabeth Warren, who is considered to be among the most far-left of the Democrat candidates running the 2020 election, endorsed her recently and communist China sympathizer Michael Bloomberg also stumped for her on the campaign trail.
Markowitz is running against Republican Gary Gates, a successful business owner who has created hundreds of jobs for Texans.
It may be raining outside, but we're out here at the polls greeting voters. Please make sure to vote early over the next couple days. I look forward to chatting with everyone who comes to vote! #GatesForTX pic.twitter.com/foFjLbVnCt
— Gary Gates (@GatesforTexas) January 22, 2020
A big "thank you" to the Republican Women’s Club of Katy for having me at their meeting last night. Thank you so much for your support! #GatesForTX pic.twitter.com/ou3x8dNEBm
— Gary Gates (@GatesforTexas) January 17, 2020
"Gary Gates' life story is one of triumph over tragedy and never giving up. He's exactly the sort of principled conservative our state needs. I trust Gary to secure our border, fight for our schools, defend innocent life, and be a strong voice for taxpayers." -Cecilia Abbott pic.twitter.com/qhkeSedmWb
— Gary Gates (@GatesforTexas) January 16, 2020