GOP super PAC tries to ‘keep Texas red’ at driver’s license offices

by | Aug 28, 2019 | 2020 Elections

The unusual activities of a $10 million Republican super PAC were exposed this week by tipsters calling elected officials and posting their own surveillance on Twitter. 

Workers with Engage Texas, which says it registers and turns out voters, were spotted outside Texas Department of Public Safety driver’s license offices in recent days in the Houston and Dallas-Ft. Worth areas. 

“They catch you coming out of the building by asking you to sign their petition on banning late term abortion,” tweeted state Rep. Chris Turner, who represents portions of Tarrant County. Turner visited two DPS offices where the super PAC was canvassing.

Turner said the group’s staffers told him they received permission from the Texas Department of Public Safety, who on Tuesday told the Houston Chronicle that public spaces outside agency’s offices were indeed available for “political speech.”

The Arlington, TX NAACP suggested that any group can now set up shop outside the DPS driver’s license offices to talk to people waiting in line. 

Engage Texas is a partisan organization that launched this summer to “keep Texas red.” They have posted at least 30 job openings in multiple cities seeking “Republican” field representatives and canvassers. 

According to Engage Texas board chair, Mano DeAyala, the group is “focused on both registering voters and giving them the information they need to get involved and vote for principled Texas conservatives to lead our state.”

The DPS offices the group is targeting appear strategic, since, as Turner told The Signal, their work “is clearly focused on areas where there are competitive seats.” Most of the competitive Texas House seats in 2020 are in the Dallas and Houston areas. The Washington Examiner said the group “saves Team Trump from having to spend the considerable sum it will take to register voters in Texas.”

The move by Texas conservatives to expand the electorate through a voter registration effort speaks to their vulnerability not seen in years. Trump’s approval rating has plunged 15 points in Texas since he’s been in office.

Are you tired of Texas Republicans pushing big lies and trying to steal your vote? So are we, that’s why we’re fighting back against the right-wing lie machine. Our commitment to ethical, fact-based journalism is vital to our democracy, and we can’t do it without you. Consider donating today to help us stay in this fight.

Continue Reading

Op-Ed: Lessons From A Democratic Leader in Harris County 

Op-Ed: Lessons From A Democratic Leader in Harris County 

Since my last op-ed on the Harris County Democratic Party went viral many are asking who am I. Most know me through my role as President of Meyerland Area Democrats and the many achievements we made in changing history in Harris County. But do you know who I am as a...

Texas Legislative Round-Up: Week Ten

Texas Legislative Round-Up: Week Ten

Welcome to the Texas Legislative Round-up! We are here to break down the latest news from the Texas Legislative session in Austin. Every week, we’ll give you the honest take on the news that impacts you – without pretending it doesn’t. Week in Review “Dr. Hotze I know...

The Houston ISD Takeover Explained

The Houston ISD Takeover Explained

On Wednesday, the Texas Education Agency officially announced they were taking over Houston ISD. The threat had been omnipresent for years, but in the past few weeks the drumbeat of a potential takeover of the state’s largest school district became deafening. The TEA...