Matt Foust’s public image has been crafted to portray him as above partisan politics, but his campaign finance and staffing choices suggest otherwise.

Foust, a candidate in the officially nonpartisan Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Board of Trustees Place 3 race, has built a public image as a pragmatic nonpartisan. That image was bolstered by an April 18 Star-Telegram endorsement praising Foust, 40, for “tak[ing] the nonpartisan aspect of the role seriously” and promising to “eliminate distractions to focus on solutions.”

But records and reports reviewed by The Dallas Express reveal that Foust’s campaign has relied heavily on payments that include mysterious payees, campaign officials with LGBTQIA+ agendas for public schools, Democratic-aligned donors, and Soros-backed organizers, raising questions about the authenticity of his nonpartisan posture.

The Mysterious TDP Payment

Foust’s 30-day campaign finance report lists “TDP” as a payee. The roughly $500 expenditure for “fees” does not give much indication as to who the vendor is or how many “voter files” were acquired.

However, the listed P.O. Box matches that of the Texas Democratic Party’s headquarters in Austin, suggesting a financial relationship between Foust’s campaign and Democratic infrastructure. It is unclear why the candidate or his treasurer abbreviated the name this way.

The Green Party Campaign Manager

Well-known local leftwing activists hold high-ranking positions in Foust’s campaign apparatus. His campaign manager, Brody Andrew Mulligan, ran as a Green Party candidate for the Texas House in 2020, promoting left-wing education policies and LGBTQIA+ ideology.

Mulligan’s 2020 platform included a plank to “Defend LGBTQIA+ rights, including passing legislation to defend against discrimination in the workplace and schools.”

Financial And Outreach Support From Leftists

Foust’s campaign has also received support from prominent Democratic-aligned activists. Björn Bennett, a prominent local leftwing activist, has donated to Foust’s campaign.

Sally Pearson, an organizer with Indivisible, a national network of groups that has received donations from George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, has organized outreach events for Foust, DX reported.

Local Indivisible chapters in Northeast Tarrant County have organized several protests against Trump and Musk, including one outside a Tesla building in Southlake.

Foust has attempted to message himself differently than those who support him. One section of the ‘Foust for GCISD Place 3’ website states, “Growing up in a small town profoundly shaped his fundamental values of faith, community, and education.” Another paragraph indicates he is an active member of a nearby Methodist church.

Contrastingly, Indivisible TX – 24 Action posted an image to Facebook during Pride Month, June 2022, that showed a rainbow pentagram with the words “Remember: Gay The Pray Away … This Month And Always.”

Nevertheless, donations from leftwingers make up a supermajority of the candidate’s campaign contributions. An analysis of the 30-day reports conducted by DX revealed that roughly 60% of Foust’s contributions came from Democratic donors, while only 25% came from Republican-aligned donors.

Previous Statements

When DX reached out for comment on these findings, Foust did not respond by press time. However, his previous statements have contrasted with his actions by sticking to a strictly nonpartisan message.

At a Grapevine Republicans meeting earlier this year, Foust refused to disclose who he voted for in the last presidential election. His opponent, incumbent trustee Tammy Nakamura, stated, “Donald Trump.”

Foust, a BNSF Railway attorney with no previous elected experience, has campaigned on “fiscal responsibility, respect for educators, and strategic vision.” His website emphasizes that “We should focus on building schools for tomorrow’s leaders, not for yesterday’s needs,” but avoids specifics on controversial issues.

Nakamura was elected to a three-year term on the GCISD school board in 2022. She previously served on Colleyville’s City Council and was part of the push to reopen the city in the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

She previously described her philosophy for the school district as, “We are going to do reading, writing, and arithmetic, and we are going to do it well, and for less money [than other school districts].”

Both candidates have voiced concern over the district’s finances, with Nakamura claiming GCISD will soon have a balanced budget.

Early voting in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Place 3 race runs from April 22 to April 29. Election Day is May 3.