MJ Hegar Sells Out Her Values to Top Dark Money Bidders

A $20 million influx of dark money is being funneled into MJ Hegar’s campaign as we speak. This ought to be anathema to the candidate who derided Super PACs from day one. Yet, together with the Senate Majority PAC, VoteVets and EMILY’s List, MJ was bailed out toward victory in the primary, and will end up capitalizing off of nearly $33 million in dark money ($8.8 million spent to date + an additional $24M planned between now and November) from out-of-state radicals who want to sink their claws into Texas. 

“MJ has completely abandoned her principles, broken her promises and is selling out Texans to the highest bidder in California,” said Krista Piferrer, Press Secretary. “This is a defining moment that shows exactly how untrustworthy her word really is, and how willing she is to look the other way so long as she personally benefits.”  

MJ’s Dark Money Hypocrisy

CAMPAIGN PLEDGE:

Hegar Has Campaigned For Office Decrying Citizens United And The Influence Of Money In Politics

Hegar In 2020: “We Have To End Citizens United. That’s Why I Have Been Endorsed By End Citizens United. I Am Absolutely Committed To Ending Citizens United…” HEGAR: “We absolutely need to get rid of private prisons because that’s part of the problem. We’ve got to get money out of politics. We have to end Citizens United. That’s why I have been endorsed by End Citizens United. I am absolutely committed to ending Citizens United because when the private prison industry cuts checks to John Cornyn, he legislates in their benefit and he makes sure they are at max capacity which is max profits.” (MJ Hegar, Remarks At Democratic Senate Runoff Debate, 6/6/20)

On Day One In Office, Hegar Has Pledged To Propose “Comprehensive Campaign Finance And Ethics Reforms” To “Get The Influence Of Money Out Of Our Political System.” “Day one in office, what piece of legislation are you bringing to the Senate floor and why? Texans are sick and tired of watching D.C. politicians put special interest donors and political games over the needs of the people. It is time to clean up our broken system and return the power back to people. We will not get the needed action on health care, climate change, lower-cost prescription drugs, common-sense gun safety measures, or comprehensive immigration reform until we get the influence of money out of our political system. On day one, I will work to pass comprehensive campaign finance and ethics reforms that ensure Washington is accountable to the voters—and no one else.” (Andrew Bellah, “The Mission At Hand: A Conversation With MJHegar,” The Politic, 4/2/20)

D.C. DEMOCRAT & DARK-MONEY SPENDING

Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC Has Spent Millions On Hegar’s Campaign Senate Majority PAC Has Announced Plans For A Total Of $10 Million In Spending For Hegar’s Campaign. “In a ‘confidential’ four-page memo circulated to major donors last week and obtained by Recode, Future Forward and four other Democratic outside groups — Senate Majority PAC, the Strategic Victory Fund, Way to Win, and Mind the Gap — planned $28 million in advertising to boost MJ Hegar, the Democrat challenging Texas Sen. John Cornyn in an uphill race. $10 million of that money was expected to come from a Senate Majority PAC, according to the memo, while another $18 million needed to be raised as of last week for the groups to pull the trigger. Since that memo, Senate Majority PAC announced an $8.6 million campaign — it made no mention of the rest of the big-donor cavalry joining them. The memo stated that Future Forward was raising the rest to implement the home run play, which began with a buy worth a few million dollars in the state on Tuesday. ‘Based on an extensive analysis undertaken by Future Forward PAC and Senate Majority PAC (SMP), we believe that Democrats have a plausible chance to flip the TX Senate seat with a major financial investment in the race over the next week,’ the groups wrote todonors last week. ‘We can push the odds of victory up significantly—from 23% to 35-55%—by blitzing the airwaves in the final two weeks.’” (Theodore Schleifer, “Silicon Valley Megadonors Unleash A Last-Minute, $100 Million Barrage Of Ads Against Trump,” Vox, 10/20/20)

  • Senate Majority PAC Is The Super PAC “Aligned With Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.” “Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, raised $61 million in 2019, a record sum that will boost Democrats as they seek to recapture the Senate this year. The fundraising total, which was shared first with POLITICO, shattered the group’s previous off-year fundraising records from recent election cycles and topped their GOP counterpart’s haul for last year. The super PAC entered 2020 with more than $47 million in the bank, more than triple the $13.7 million it had at the same point two years ago.” (James Arkin, “Senate Democrats’ Super PAC Raises Record $61M In 2019,” Politico, 1/28/20)

Included In Senate Majority PAC’s Total Is An Already Announced $8.6 Million On TV Ads In Support Of Hegar. “Senate Majority PAC, the top Democratic super PAC in U.S. Senate races, is launching a major late investment in Texas, spending $8.6 million on TV ads supporting MJ Hegar’s bid to oust Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. The political action committee will begin airing two anti-Cornyn ads, one in English and the other in Spanish, on Friday, and they will run through Election Day, according to details first shared with The Texas Tribune. Both 30-second spots take Cornyn to task for his longtime opposition to the Affordable Care Act, which includes protections for people with preexisting conditions. The English commercial invokes a recent Cornyn ad in which he claims to support those protections, while a narrator says Cornyn is ‘lying about his health care record.’” (Patrick Svitek, “Top Democratic Super PAC Boosts MJ Hegar In Texas’ U.S. Senate Race With $8.6 Million TV Blitz,” The Texas Tribune, 10/15/20)

Schumer’s DSCC Spent Heavily On Hegar’s Primary Bid Against Sen. Royce West

Schumer’s DSCC Has Reported A Total Of $830,000 In Coordinated Expenditures On Behalf Of Hegar’s Campaign. (Center For Responsive Politics Website, Accessed 10/20/20)

Schumer’s DSCC Has Contributed $49,600 To Hegar’s Campaign. (CQ MoneyLine Website, Accessed 10/20/20)

Other Democrat Dark Money Groups Have Planned An Additional $18 Million In Pro-Hegar Spending

“A Little-Known Democratic Super PAC Backed By Some Of Silicon Valley’s Biggest Donors,” Including A Facebook Founder, Is “Unleashing A Torrent Of Television Spending.” “A little-known Democratic super PAC backed by some of Silicon Valley’s biggest donors is quietly unleashing a torrent of television spending in the final weeks of the presidential campaign in a last-minute attempt tooust President Donald Trump, Recode has learned. The barrage of late money — which includes at least $22 million from Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz — figures among one of the most expensive and aggressive plays yet by tech billionaires, who have spent years studying how to maximize the return they get from each additional dollar they spend on politics. Moskovitz is placing his single biggest public bet yet on the evidence that TV ads that come just before Election Day are the best way to do that. The super PAC, called Future Forward, has remained under the radar but is spending more than $100 million on television in the final month of the campaign — more than any other group — on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden outside of the Biden campaign itself.” (Theodore Schleifer, “Silicon Valley Megadonors Unleash A Last-Minute, $100 Million Barrage Of Ads Against Trump,” Vox, 10/20/20)

Future Forward And Four Other Democrat Outside Groups—Including Senate Majority PAC—Have Planned A Total Of $28 Million In Advertising In Support Of Hegar’s Campaign. “In a ‘confidential’ four-page memo circulated to major donors last week and obtained by Recode, Future Forward and four other Democratic outside groups — Senate Majority PAC, the Strategic Victory Fund, Way to Win, and Mind the Gap — planned $28 million in advertising to boost MJ Hegar, the Democrat challenging Texas Sen. John Cornyn in an uphill race. $10 million of that money was expected to come from a Senate Majority PAC, according to the memo, while another$18 million needed to be raised as of last week for the groups to pull the trigger. Since that memo, Senate Majority PAC announced an $8.6 million campaign — it made no mention of the rest of the big-donor cavalry joining them. The memo stated that Future Forward was raising the rest to implement the home run play, which began with a buy worth a few million dollars in the state on Tuesday. ‘Based on an extensive analysis undertaken by Future Forward PAC and Senate Majority PAC (SMP), we believe that Democrats have a plausible chance to flip the TX Senate seat with a major financial investment in the race over the next week,’ the groups wrote to donors last week. ‘We can push the odds of victory up significantly—from 23% to 35-55%—by blitzing the airwaves in the final two weeks.’” (Theodore Schleifer, “Silicon Valley Megadonors Unleash A Last-Minute, $100 Million Barrage Of Ads Against Trump,” Vox, 10/20/20)

In The Primary And Runoff, Liberal Groups VoteVets And Women Vote! Spent Heavily On Hegar’s Behalf

From April 2019 To February 2020, VoteVets Has Reported A Total Of $3,524,212 In Independent Expenditures Supporting Hegar. (Federal Elections Commission Website, Accessed 10/20/20)

  • VoteVets Is A PAC That Purports To Support Veterans And Liberal Causes. “VoteVets.org is a political group that supports veterans and promotes liberal causes. Its mission is ‘to elect Veterans to public office,’ and its agenda includes ‘working with progressive allies representing labor, immigration, gay and lesbian rights, and environmentalists, when their issues coincide with the needs of troops and veterans.’ It operates two political committees: the VoteVets PAC and the VoteVets Action Fund.” (VoteVets Profile, Factcheck.org, 4/24/20)
  • In The 2020 Cycle To Date, VoteVets Has Reported More Than $9 Million Of Its Fundraising Came From Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC. (CQ MoneyLine Website, Accessed 10/20/20)

In July 2020, Women Vote! Reported A Total Of $1,317,830 In Independent Expenditures Supporting Hegar. (Federal Elections Commission Website, Accessed 10/20/20)

  • Women Vote! Is A Super PAC Affiliated With EMILY’s List That Supports Liberal Female Candidates For Office. “Emily’s List and Women Vote! are affiliated political action committees devoted to electing Democratic women candidates who support a legal right to abortion. Both operate from the same offices in Washington, D.C. Emily’s List was established in 1985. Organized as a 527 committee under the IRS tax code, Emily’s List can raise and spend unlimited amounts. It donates directly to candidates and also bundles contributions by passing on checks from individuals who earmark their gifts for candidates the PAC endorses. It disbursed just under $45 million in the 2016 elections, including $757,000 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. It also supported dozens of female Democrats running for Senate and House, as well as many women running for state and local offices. Women Vote! is a super PAC set up in 2010.  It makes no direct donations to candidates, but can raise and spend money in unlimited amounts on TV ads and other political communications — known as independent expenditures — that call for the victory or defeat of specific candidates.” (Women Vote! Profile, Factcheck.org, 6/19/18)

Democrat Criticism

State Sen. Royce West: Hegar “Wants To See The Influence Of Big Money Taken Out Of Politics. Maybe That’s True – As Long As You Are Talking About Everyone Else’s Money But Her Own.” “My opponent said in the newspaper this week that she wants to see the influence of big money taken out of politics. Maybe that’s true – as long as you are talking about everyone else’s moneybut her own. We found out last night that Hegar and her Washington allies will pump more than a million dollars into television ads to try to buy this runoff election. It’s worth pointing out that part of the big spend will come from a super PAC – the kind of group, exempted from reporting and transparency requirements, that those who want to clean up government are usually against. My opponent has even spoken out against these types of groups.” (State Sen. Royce West, E-Mail To Supporters, 7/8/20)

Hegar’s Campaign Railed Against Primary Opponent, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez For Receiving Support From a Super PAC. “It detailed how last August, Tzintzún Ramirez disavowed all PAC and special interest money. However, a so-called hybrid super PAC, Action PAC, formed by progressive activists including several top aides to Beto O’Rourke in his 2018 Senate campaign, was already “closely linked” to Tzintzún Ramirez’s campaign, Hegar said. ‘You can’t say you’re ‘no PAC’ when on Day One there’s a PAC standing next to you,’ Hegar spokeswoman Amanda Sherman explained.” (“Bad blood? Texas Democratic Senate hopefuls MJ Hegar, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez ratchet up criticisms,” Dallas Morning News, 2/23/20)