Conservative donor backs Shelley Luther in Texas Senate election with $1 million loan
Tim Dunn, American businessman and conservative megadonor, has backed Shelley Luther with a $1 million loan to her Texas Senate campaign, first reported by The Texan.
Luther, the Dallas salon owner who went to jail for defying coronavirus restrictions, is running for the Texas Senate District 30 seat. She had announced her intention to run on Aug. 22.
According to the Texas Tribune, Luther’s campaign confirmed the $1 million loan Friday evening, three days before a campaign finance deadline in the race. Luther is in a six-way special election on Sept. 29 to succeed state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, who won the GOP nomination in Texas’ 4th Congressional District.
In a statement given to the Texas Tribune, Dunn praised Luther for standing up to bipartisan government overreach in the fight against the pandemic.
In response, Luther’s closest competition, Republican state Rep. Drew Springer of Muenster, told the Texas Tribune that many groups have endorsed him including the Texas Farm Bureau and National Rifle Association, and saying they “know how bad an [Empower Texans] bought & paid for Senator would be for Texas.”
Dunn has bankrolled Empower Texans, a hard-right nonprofit advocacy organization, over the years.
Early voting for the special election began Monday and continues through Sept. 25.
