Cruz challenger says ‘no thanks’ to funding from Steyer

Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) told a Texas newspaper that he would turn down funding from California billionaire Tom Steyer, who openly discussed contributing to O’Rourke’s campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” O’Rourke told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday. “That’s my response. [I] don’t want it. That’s not how we’re doing this.” 

Steyer, a billionaire environmentalist and head of super PAC NextGen America, said earlier Tuesday that he may be interested in getting involved in the race on O’Rourke’s behalf, the Tribune noted. 

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“We are intrigued by Texas, and we are aware what we have to do in order to have an impact on a state that big. We need a lot of resources, but we have not made a decision to be involved with it,” Steyer said on CNBC. 

O’Rourke has insisted that he would not accept corporate PAC or super PAC money. 

“This is going to be a real test for Texas and for the country and our democracy to see if people are a match for the PACs and the super PACs and the special interests and the corporations, and I’m all in on the people,” O’Rourke told the newspaper.

But the Democrat added that he can’t stop Steyer or anyone else from running political ads on his behalf.

“Literally, not only do I not have any control but I’m prohibited by law from coordinating. Having said that, for he and anyone considering doing this, we don’t want that. It’s not the way to run this, and I’m convinced it’s not the way to win.” 

O’Rourke and Cruz are in a statistical dead heat according to a poll released last week.

The first Quinnipiac University poll of the race deemed it too close to call. Cruz leads O’Rourke by 3 percentage points — 47 to 44 percent — which falls within the margin of error.