State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-District 49) has received $1.2 million from billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) while campaigning for an economy “built for the people, not billionaires.”
The Austin Democrat, who is challenging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), has also received advertising support from Texas Majority PAC, which has received funding from George Soros.
Abbott’s campaign accused Hinojosa of contradicting her message in a Tuesday release.
“She has built her campaign on the message that she is fighting billionaire and data center interests in Texas,” Catherine Frazier, communications director for Texans for Greg Abbott, said in the release.
Pritzker gives $1.2 million
Pritzker gave $200,000 on September 18 and another $1 million on October 8, campaign finance reports show.
Hinojosa’s campaign has promoted its grassroots fundraising, saying in its September 18 statement that it raised more than $1 million in 36 hours and added more than 5,000 first-time donors.
Soros-backed PAC provides advertising
Texas Majority PAC provided a $25,000 in-kind contribution for digital advertising on October 19, Hinojosa’s report shows.
Soros contributed $1 million to the PAC on August 23, 2023, and $400,000 on October 10, 2023.
The PAC also sponsored a September 4 fundraising email sent under Hinojosa’s name that asked readers to split a $10 donation between the organization and her gubernatorial campaign.
OpenAI donor gives $150,000
Jessica Livingston gave Hinojosa $150,000 on October 21. Livingston co-founded Y Combinator, the startup accelerator, and was among the original donors supporting OpenAI’s launch in 2015.
Hinojosa’s published position calls for an immediate moratorium on new data centers until lawmakers enact protections governing their development.
Texas has been examining the electricity, water and community effects of proposed data centers, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
Abbott also has billionaire backing. Elon Musk gave Texans for Greg Abbott $500,000 on May 12 and contributed another $5 million on September 28.
The Dallas Express reached out to Hinojosa’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
