Team Abbott Circulates Thank You Card
for Backers to Show Appreciation for Map
Capitol Inside
August 24, 2025
With Democrats steaming about the cancellation of a Texas Senate filibuster after a Democrat announced it in a fundraising email, Governor Greg Abbott sought to avoid the same trap on Sunday with an email that gave Texans a chance to reward him for a congressional redistricting plan without being prodded to donate to his campaign.
Democratic State Senator Carol Alvardo's solicitation for campaign cash in an email that trumpeted her plans to filibuster the GOP map gave Senate Republicans a hook for shutting a down a filibuster against the map in House Bill 4 before she ever got a word off.
The Abbott campaign eschewed the temptation to milk the legislation's passage for political contributions like Alvarado tried to do with the talkathon that was prepared for several hours to stage complete with catheter, urine bag and vintage tennis shoes that she wore for filibuster against an election security measure in 2021. The governor's camp fashioned the email early Sunday night more like a giant thank you note.
"Did you have a chance to add your name yet," Team Abbott asks in the electronic communique. "Governor Abbott refused to back down from the fight to give Texans a voice!
"Now that the redistricting maps have been PASSED by the Texas Legislature, we’re asking for your help to send a Texas-sized THANK YOU to Governor Abbott, the governor's campaign added. "Will you add your name to the growing list of patriots today?"
People who want to show their appreciation to Abbott can click on the card and be directed to a page on his web site with an application to be added to the campaign's contact list for emails, texts and automated messages on cell phones.
While the Abbott solicitation for gratitude for his role in redistricting does not ask for donations or encourage people to support the governor's campaign, the fine print for the thank you card on the web site notes that he "only accepts individual contributions online," that corporate donations are prohibited and that Texas has no limit on the amount of money he can accept for politics.
Alvarado attempt to raise campaign funds in the email on the filibuster may seem like a reckless move to her and other Democrats in hindsight. The Senate Republicans jumped on the chance to shut her down in a motion that State Senator Charles Perry of Lubbock proposed after Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said he planned to let the Alvarado filibuster go on as planned.
Perry argued that Alvarado's email violated "longstanding tradition, ethics and decorum" - portraying the message as "potentially unlawful" or unethical on the grounds that she was using state resources and employees to benefit her campaign. Perry - a top Patrick lieutenant - said he was personally offended by the Alvarado solicitation that he said advertised the filibuster as a campaign fundraising event.
The Senate Republicans attempts to separate redistricting from political campaigns is an interesting tactic in light of the fact that the entire map-making process revolves on a quest to expand the power of a majority party. Every Republican who voted for HB 4 in Austin will be doing their best to capitalize on the actions they took in the fight for the sake of political gain at some point.
"This is a MAJOR victory for Texas, but we know the fight is far from over," Team Abbott said in the email tonight. "Thank you for showing Governor Abbott he has your continued support today."
more to come ...
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