Although State Sen. Wendy Davis is running to be Governor of Texas, lately she has been spending significant time outside of the state raising money. On May 5, Davis was in Chicago for a fundraising event put on by Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky called “Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch.”
Schakowsky is known for her far-left views, which represent the antithesis of Texas’ business-friendly, low tax environment.
In the past, Schakowsky has clearly expressed her belief that working Americans do not deserve to keep all of their income.
In 2011, she was asked in a radio interview, “Of every dollar that I earn, how much do you think I deserve to keep?” She responded, “I’ll put it this way, you don’t deserve to keep all of it. It’s not a question of deserving, because what government is, is those things that we decide to do together.”
Stanley Kurtz of the National Review also found further “documentary evidence showing that, at the start of her political career, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America…In the late 1980′s, Schakowsky was an influential official in the Midwest Academy network…the Midwest Academy’s leadership, including Jan Schakowsky, really was socialist. Precisely in order to retain their growing influence within the Democratic Party, the Midwest Academy’s leaders kept the full extent of their leftism hidden.”
Wendy Davis has continued to rely heavily on funding from left-wing fundraisers in blue states. The day prior to attending Schakowsky’s event, Davis held a fundraiser in Illinois that “directly benefited her campaign warchest,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Breitbart News reported in March that 25 percent of Davis’ money has come from outside the state. $3.8 million of the $15 million she has raised so far was given by supporters from outside the Lone Star State.
Although many doubt Davis has a real shot at becoming Texas’ next governor, her publicized bid against Greg Abbott has placed Texas at the center of American politics–the national attention has unquestionably allowed her to funnel in campaign money from outside the state with ease.
Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri told the Houston Chronicle that many of Davis’ out-of-state donors from blue states do not understand the political landscape in Texas. He said, “You have a lot of Californians and New Yorkers pontificating about what they think should happen in Texas … and not understanding what the constituency is like. But great, put in your newspaper, ‘Please send Wendy Davis as much as you can’ … that will help ensure we pick up six seats in the U.S. Senate.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.