Democrats are getting some help from Hollywood in their seemingly never-ending quest to flip Texas from Republican control. The latest effort is "#TurnTexasBlue, Trump Is Through." In recent days, dozens of celebrities have been spreading that message on social media, many specifically asking people to donate $38 in honor of Texas' 38 electoral votes. Among those participating in the campaign are Amy Schumer, Mark Ruffalo, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Christina Applegate.
The Democrats have been down this road before. Just two years ago, Beto O'Rourke drew in millions of dollars from Hollywood in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz. But this year, there is even more at stake. "National donors who are liberal love the idea of turning Texas blue...they wanna take policies in their states and bring them to Texas," says Matt Mackowiak, Texas-based Republican consultant. "They know how powerful it would be if the Democrats could flip Texas."
"Democratic donors in Hollywood understand that going into redistricting (in the next Congress), if they can elect more Democrats in a place like Texas, they can solidify their Congressional majority," adds Mackowiak.
Mackowiak thinks this strategy of carpetbagging bigwigs trying to influence local elections could backfire on Democrats, and Texas Republicans should use it to their advantage. "It's never a good sign when a candidate is running for office and raising most of their money from outside the area they want to represent," he tells KTRH. "Generally, they should be raising money from the local area, from people who know them and work with them."
"If you're a Republican and your Democratic opponent is raising a lot of money from places like Hollywood, you need to use that in your campaign," says Mackowiak. "Not just as a message, but as a motivator to raise money from your donors."